Reform
by readbookfreak
Summary: Nine has to find a cure for the virus that is spreading across Freedom One, but something big stands in her way. Even with Kai, Theron and Pua by her side she can't have them fight her fight.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys, this is my first ever FanFic that I'm writing. I just read Remake by Illima Todd and I love the series and really want to continue it. And please note that i don't own any of this. Enjoy!**

Nine

It had been a month since we came into the city. Everyday i went to Setias lab where she ran different tests; I'd lost count of how many times she drew blood. Kai was concerned that at this rate I'd run out of blood. It was nice that Theron was there though; he made it all worth it. No. If i wasn't doing this all the people in Freedom would die.

"You're good to go," Setia called over to me, "Thanks." i nodded over to her and pulled my jacket of one of the chairs. I practically ran down the street to mine and Kai's apartment. He hated all the furnishings and how clean it was. I knew he was home sick and he missed his little brothers. When i got to the door i pulled out my key and unlocked the door. Kai was nowhere to be seen inside. I went over to the kitchen to start dinner. It wasn't big but it was enough.

I pulled out a bowl and mixing spoon and began an easy noodle recipe. It brought back memories of when i was back here with Theron. How i was here and Kai was not. I was kneading the dough on the kitchen side when i started to feel nauseous. I ran to the bathroom and bent over the toilet just as all my food came up. I heard the front door open and close. Kai called my name but I'm sure he heard me before he saw me. He came and knelt beside me, slowly rubbing my back. He pulled my hair out of the way, i shooed him away.

"Are you crazy?" he asked me, "I'm staying right here." I didn't actually expect him to leave. i got up and rinsed my mouth out with the clean tap water. It was one of the things i missed in Mahawai and in the rebel village. Kai didn't even leave me when i brushed my teeth, or when i went back to the kitchen. I immediately dumped the dough in the trash not wanting to spread my germs. I didn't have much of an appetite ether. i collapsed on the couch and Kai followed me. I curled into his side and he rubbed my arm.

"You okay?" he asked with his chin resting on my head.

"Um...now i am," i told him, he kissed my hair and i smiled a bit, "Thank you."

"For what, being your husband? Being there for you?" i smiled and nodded, "Ani, there's nothing I'd rather do." i looked at him and he leaned in a bit. i stopped him with my finger against his lips.

"No, we can't have you getting sick as well," I let out a small giggle when he decided just to kiss my finger, and then moved to my knuckles then my hand.

"What do you think got you sick?" I leaned into him as we both looked out the large window at all the lights in Freedom.

"I don't know, i doubt it was the lab." He scoffed but when i looked i could see a smirk on his lips.

"Yeah, it's not like they're the most sanitary places..." he said dryly but i laughed anyways. We were silent for a while then he spoke again, "You don't think you could be pr-" i clamped my hand over his mouth so he couldn't speak. I gave him a warning look and stood. We both knew it could be a possibility but neither of us were ready to be parents. We didn't want to raise a child in Freedom, not with all of this going on.

I walked to our room and changed into my pajamas then curled up in bed. I heard some clanking of metal and was scared of what Kai was doing in the kitchen. I started to doze off to sleep but i was awoken when Kai came into the room and flopped on the bed. I groaned and pushed him away, he smirked at me. I didn't smile though, so his smile faded.

"Sorry...um, about earlier." He told me. I shook my head and rolled over to face him. He put one arm around my waist and hugged my into him, my hands flat against his chest.

"No, it's okay...i just-" he silenced me with a kiss and my hands brushed his cheeks. He pulled away but his nose still brushed mine.

"I know, we've talked about it." he brushed a hand across my check and into my hair. He placed a kiss on my forehead and i rested my head on his chest. The sound of his heart lulled me to sleep.

I woke the next morning and immediately felt something wrong. Kai's arms were still around me and i wriggled out of his grasp. I ran to the bathroom and, again, heaved over the toilet. Kai was by my side instantly, pulling my hair out of the way. When i was done he pulled me into his chest and we stayed like that for a while.

"Nine, are you sure you're not?" I shook my head, not because i was sure but because i didn't want it to be true. I was just barely eighteen, Kai pulled me to my feet, "Come on, we're going to find out." I brushed my teeth and went to get changed. Kai was waiting at the kitchen table with a glass of water. I sat beside him and he pushed the glass my way, i drank it all in a few gulps. I set the glass down and looked at him.

"Okay, before we leave we just have to make sure you're not just sick, okay?" I nodded.

"How?" I asked him. I didn't know what Kai was up to.

"Questions," he said with a smirk, i offered a tight-lipped smile too, "Are you late?" I knew what he meant. I hadn't noticed anything different but now that i thought about it...

"Yes but-" I told him, he held up a hand to stop me. I rested my chin on my hand as he watched the table.

"Okay, um lets go." He stood up fast and his chair screeched along the dark wood floor. He offered his hand and i let him pull me to my feet. He led us to the door and we walked down the hall to the stairs. We walked down in silence. When we stepped out into the fresh morning air i turned on him.

"Kai," There was desperation in my voice, "I don't just want some random doctor to test me. And if i am i don't want to tell people for a while, okay?" He nodded and looked down at the pavement next to him

"Well, then we can have Theron test you." he suggested. He smiled at me and i let my face fall into my hands. I let out a groan. He laughed and folded me into his arms. "Come on." he grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street. We went to the front door and i was surprised to see Theron sitting at the desk next to Setia.

"Oh, Nine," he looked up from his work, "What do you need?" I felt my face redden and looked to Kai. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me forwards with him. I let out a quiet growl so only he would hear me. He let out a small chuckle. We reached the desk and Kai leaned in to talk to Theron.

"Can we go to a lab?" Theron nodded and lead the way. He didn't ask us what was going on till the door closed.

"We...um, Ani might be pregnant."He blurted out really fast. Theron looked confused at first then his face relaxed then he just looked down-right concerned. I felt my face redden and Kai held me tighter.

"Are you sure?" Theron asked, he ran a hand through his hair and looked from me to Kai.

"No, we're not!" I exclaimed, "Kai just naturally assumed that since i vomited I'm pregnant. Plus how would you even know how to test me if people in Freedom don't have babies?" Kai rubbed my arm slightly and i felt myself relax a little.

"My mom would get tests from steamship visits sometimes. Do you have something like that here?" Kai asked Theron. Theron's lips tightened and i knew he did that when he was thinking. What if i was pregnant? I wouldn't be able to continue the fight that most certainly wasn't over. I'd be a mom.

"I think we do, i know there was something they used on surrogates in the past, their might still be some." my gut clenched as he mentioned the surrogates. How Pua was almost one. How so many woman and girls were put through so much. "Let me check the basement." Theron left the room and Kai led me to a seat. We sat in silence for a few minutes before he broke it.

"Nine, i know your scared about all of this," he places a kiss on my shoulder, "But the worst thing that could happen would be having a miniature me running around." I laughed out loud at him. It wouldn't be terrible, in fact i think it would keep me on my toes. The door opened and we turned to see Theron come in with a small box in hand.

"Well, it's your lucky day, we only had a few left." he said. Though i could tell he had his healer mask on. Me and Kai stood up and Theron gave me the box. He motioned towards the bathroom and i looked down then walked in. I closed the doors behind me and let out an exasperated sigh. This wasn't really happening, right?

When i came out Kai stood and i went towards him. I had put the test back in the box and handed it to Theron. He put it on a desk in the room. Kai opened his arms and i fell into them. I heard Theron leave the room, we were alone. I felt a warm tear slip down my cheek, Kai pulled back and wiped it away.

"Hey, it's okay...we don't even know yet," he pulled he towards him again and i buried my face into his neck. "Nine, it's going to be fine, i know you're scared right now. We're both still young but it'll be fine. If you ever need help I'm sure mom will be there. And Pua." I nodded and we both sat down. His arm was around my shoulders, my hand on his leg. Theron came back in and proclaimed it time to see the results.

"Wait, Theron," i started, "If it is in fact positive we don't want to tell anyone for a while." he nodded and gave me the box. I handed it to Kai, he should do it. He watched me the whole time he opened it. He slipped the test out and looked at it. I watched as his brow furrowed then his whole face lit up.

"Nine, we're going to have a baby!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, I'm back with another chapter! I'd love for you to leave reviews and please mind some spelling mistakes I may have. **

Kai

Nine looked stunned, I'm sure I did too. I could practically feel my heart thumping in my chest. I saw tears well up in her eyes so I put the test back in the box and pulled her into my arms. She cried and I even felt tears slide down my face. But they were happy tears. We were going to have a baby. I pulled back to look at her and I was shocked to see the biggest smile on her face. My thumb wiped her tears off her face and I leaned down to kiss her. It seemed to last forever, like our first kiss. This one was full of hope and excitement. She pulled back.

"We're going to have a baby!" She said I started laughing and so did she. Theron had left the room to give us some privacy and I'm glad because I knew he'd never look at me the same if he saw me like this. I hugged her and placed a kiss on her cheek, her forehead, her nose, her chin, her shoulder. She welcomed it all with excitement. I looked at her and wiped all the moisture off her face then cleared mine.

"Come on, let's go home." I pulled her out of the room and nine ran to Theron and hugged him. I used to feel jealous when she talked about him but now I'm glad she has him. Nine walked back to me and we left into the breezy day smiling like idiots.

As soon as we'd gotten home Nine felt tired from all the excitement and I knew it was because she was pregnant. It still seemed weird to think about. But this was probably the most happy I've been in my life. I couldn't wait to tell mom and dad and especially Pua. I knew it wouldn't be long till her and Theron got married and this would probably be happening to them within a year. I decided to invite my family, or the ones here, over for dinner. Theron would be there too, with Pua, much to my displeasure. It was always uncomfortable watching then fall in love each day, knowing that she's my little sister. But I guess the three minute gap between us wasn't enough to hold her back. I was happy for her though.

I went to our bedroom and laid down next to Nine, watching her sleep. She was so beautiful; she always brought a smile to my face. Eventually I dozed off as well. I woke up to Nine shaking me awake. I could see the worry in her face. The first thing that came to mind was the baby, was something happening? I sat up quickly and ran my hands down her arms.

"It's Theron,"I could see tears running down her cheeks, "Pua just told me, something happened, he..." She took in a shuddering breath. I pulled her into my chest and saw my sister standing behind her with even more tears running down her face. I gave her a questioning look.

"There was a rebel...well, double-crosser who, Theron got shot." A sob shuddered through her body and she leaned against the door frame for support. "Mom and dad are there. He's in hospital; they sent me to get you."

Nine practically jumped out of the bed and I followed. We all headed outside and ran down the street towards the hospital. When we got inside I saw both mom and dad pacing, Theron was like a son to them. I led Nine and Pua to them and Pua fell into mom and dad's arms. Me and Nine went to sit down on a bench. She pulled her knees to her chest and leaned against me. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and watched Pua start pacing. Mom and dad took a seat and had their heads close together whispering.

"What if he doesn't make it?" Nine asks, her voice shaking, she'd stopped crying but I knew there were still tears waiting to spill. I pulled her close to me and she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Nine, he survived a shark attack, the rebel attack, I think he'll make it through this too," I smiled a bit, trying to comfort myself as much as her, "And if he's anything like you then he'll definitely survive." She smiled a bit and after a while Pua collapsed into a chair and Nines eyes fluttered closed.

The doctor pushed open the doors and I gently laid Nine down on the bench. Mom and dad were also asleep so it was me and Pua who went to get information.

"I have good news and I have bad news," The doctor started, "The good news is that he'll survive." Pua let out a cry of relief and I let out a sigh. "The bad news is that he won't be waking up anytime soon." Me and Pua with whipped our heads towards him.

"We knew he'd want to get back to work right away and we couldn't risk him injuring himself even more so we're going to keep him asleep for at least a week or so." I could see Pua's face fall but at least he wasn't dead. The doctor returned through the white door and me and Pua embraced each other and I felt her relief in the hug. She pulled back and smiled at me.

"So, you and Nine, huh?" I looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "Well, I was getting blood drawn today and Theron was muttering about something and, well I'm really good at reading lips." She knew, She knew! She punched me in my arm, "You're going to be a dad!" My smile faltered when she said that and she just laughed.

"Please don't say that for another nine months," I smiled though, I hadn't really thought about it. Pua smirked at me, "Shut up." She started laughing again. I looked over to see Nine smiling at both of us. Pua ran to hug Nine and offer congratulations. I went to sit by both of them.

"So you don't want me to say anything for a while?" Pua asked, me and Nine nodded, "Hmm, that'll be hard." Nine shoved her and we all started laughing. I told Nine about the news of Theron and it gave her eyes faraway look. Mom and Dad woke up and went to get some food for all of us. Pua said goodbye to Theron, well, goodbye to his door and we all left in mixed moods. All of us were happy he was okay, two of us were ecstatic to become parents, and one of us was happy to share our secret.

**I'd love for you guys to review this story. This isn't a common book so i don't expect many people to read this FanFic but all the same I'm grateful if you do.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi Peeps! I'm really excited to post this chapter and I had such a fun time writing it. I hope you like the story so far. I was so excited to shoot Theron, I know that sounds strange but I think it fit perfectly. **

**Note: I own none of this, but hopefully I'll have my own book on a shelf soon!**

One month later:

Nine

Kai rubbed his hand down the small bump on my stomach, we were sitting on the couch looking over Freedoms lights, and it always amazed him how bright the world could be. We heard the knock on the door and Pua poked her head through. I waved her in and Theron followed her shortly. He was leaning against a cane so he wouldn't have to support his whole weight. I jumped up from the couch to hug him and he did his best to hug me back. I then embraced Pua and she gasped and looked at my stomach.

"How far along?" she whispered to me, we were going to tell everyone tonight. I smiled as I answered.

"Ten weeks, but it doesn't feel like that long." She smiled at me and I lead her over to the couch, Kai and Theron followed. Theron needed help sitting down so Kai jumped in. He'd warmed up to Theron a lot since his sister and him were together. I went to the kitchen and downed a glass of water, then asked everyone else if they wanted some. I brought a glass back with me for Theron. My husband came and sat down next to me, he wrapped an arm around me shoulders and I leaned into him.

"Aww," Pua said dramatically, "When can we get married Theron?" Theron choked on his water and it sprayed down his shirt. We all started laughing and Theron grinned at Pua. They had been together for two months now but I understood their rush with everything that was going on.

"You never know," He said to her, it was her turn to blush. Kai cleared his throat and Pua and Theron looked at him. I smiled knowingly. He always hated the idea of his little sister getting married.

"Well, Me and Nine are taking a really, really long vacation and you might want to wait till we get back to get married." I furrowed my brow then smirked, smooth.

"How long is this vacation?" I asked him.

"Two years." He kept his tone smooth and his face ridged. We all burst into laughter; Pua leaned across me to punch Kai.

"As if you could stay away from nine that long!" Pua said and started making popping hearts with her hands. I turned my head and have Kai a big kiss just to prove her point. I pulled away when I heard a knock at the door. I went to stand but Kai placed a hand on my arm and motioned for me to stay. I rolled my eyes, I wasn't disabled. He opened the door and Miri and Ara came in. They followed Kai into the living room and took a seat.

"I'll go get the food," I said and stood, Kai and Pua both offered to help and I gave them a look of death. I was quite capable of carrying some plates. I went to the fridge and pulled out the bowl of fruit and plates of vegetables. I set them on the table in the middle of the room and let everyone pick at it. I settled back into Kai's side and he planted a kiss on my forehead, I noticed Miri smiling at us in the corner of my eye.

Once everyone had eaten Kai looked at me with questioning eyes. I nodded slowly. He sat up straighter and breathed in.

"So, me and Ani have something we'd like to say...um," Everyone's eyes were on us, Kai looked at me and I smiled, "Well, we're going to have a baby." Miri and Ara looked at each other with stunned expressions then they turned to us. Miri gave me a hug and kissed my head like a mother would. Ara wrapped me in his big arms and pressed his nose to mine. Then Pua laughed and offered a hug as well, though she already knew. I was more than happy to hug Theron and my smile grew as Kai even accepted a hug. Finally my husband turned to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. Instead of just hugging me he gave me a kiss. A kiss that swept away all my worries, a kiss that sent shivers down my spine. My arms looped around his neck, I heard someone whisper and, "Aww" behind me and I pulled back as reality of where were set back in.

I fest a blush creep up my neck and I looked to my right and saw everyone looking at us. When I looked at Kai though he didn't have a hint of red on his face, he stood firm with me in his arms. Their was an odd silence for a moment then Pua broke it, "If you want us to leave we can." I rolled my eyes, turned, and hit her arm. Everyone laughed at her and she just shrugged her shoulders.

I moved to sit as fatigue from being pregnant swept over me. Pua sat beside me and leaned her head against mine. Kai went to sit by Ara and Miri came to my other side. I was so glad my shuttle crashed and I'd found their island. I'd go through much worse again if it meant me finding them, and Kai.

"How far along are you?" Miri asked. Pua noticed her talking and moved so she could read our lips.

"Ten weeks, the morning sickness is just starting to fade." I replied. She nodded and smiled at me.

"Now, you tell me if you need anything, okay?" I nodded and she stood, Theron took her place. He's grown since I'd last seen him; you could tell what all the fighting had done to him. He was now very muscular and tall, but it wasn't just his physical appearances that had grown. It was also his heart, his knowledge of everything. He was planning to get the operation to enable him to have kids as soon as we got back to the rebel village. I knew how much he wanted it. Even I'd grown in my knowledge. This time one year ago I would have been horrified at the thought of giving birth, being a mother, not I was seven months away from all of that.

"How are you doing?" He asked me. I could tell he was concerned. He seemed a bit tentative to touch me recently, like because I'm pregnant I'd break if he did.

"Good, all the sickness and stuff is wearing off now." He nodded and I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. My eyes closed and sleep overwhelmed me. The last thing I remember was Kai scooping me into his arms and carrying me towards our bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I'm really exited to post this chapter and you'll realize as soon as you start reading...Enjoy!**

Eridian

I was in Freedom Two, the meeting was lasting forever.

"I already released it, theirs nothing you can do now." They all looked at me with stunned expressions. I examined my finder nails and waited for them to say something. They all wanted to close down my Freedom, all my work. They didn't even know half the stuff that was going on there though. A few of them were looking at me with their jaws dropped, another ran a hand through his hair.

"When did you release it?" Asked Freedom Threes Prime Maker. The other leaders nodded at his question and waited for my answer. I huffed and answered:

"Two months ago, and everyone is still there. It was released to everyone." I smiled at my genius idea with the trackers. Now everyone would die and the leaders would see what I was quite capable of handling a city. One leader sputtered in search for an answer. I was the only female leader and they all doubled me from the beginning, "But, i do have a solution to the virus." A look of relief then confusion passed across their faces.

"What is it?" One of them asked me.

"Batch #1372; Member #9," They all waited for me to elaborate, "The experiment, the red head'; she's what will save us all."

"We need to get to her."

"Hmm, you're forgetting that none of us can enter the province without catching the virus, oops." i smirked at them they all thought I was useless, now who was useless? They all glared at me and I smirked back at them, "But, I want to see if they can make up a cure themselves. We've, sorry, _I've _done enough for all of them, they did nothing to repay me. They ran away or joined the Rise. They don't deserve our help." I spat out. A few of them nodded their heads and the stunned face was re-plastered on some of them.

"Okay, we don't have to help them, but we all have our own provinces to care for we can't have the virus spreading. We have to do something!" Markum, Freedom Four's leader, exclaimed. Everyone nodded and I sat back and folded my arms in front of me. I could tell they were waiting for me to say something, I shrugged. Markum threw his hands in the air and let out an exasperated laugh, "We can't just do nothing."

"Why not, why let the live?" I said to them. This meeting was going nowhere, "When you figure something out please inform me." I stood and left the room, all of their eyes followed me out. I went into the hall way and waked through the pristine halls. I went to the elevator and pressed sub-level 5. I knew this was where they kept their surrogates. This province was my favorite in the way they handled their surrogates. When I got my province back together i was probably going to use this method.

I opened a door that led to the holding cells. I looked through the bars at the bald young girls. They were almost of age to get remade. Instead of using the rebels they use their batchers to produce a new batch. Since they had the memories of it though, they had their memories of the birth taken away right after. So, no one would remember anything about it. I paused before one of the cells and looked at a girl with freckled skin. I knew who she was, and i knew she'd never stop being a surrogate. Ever since the story of Nine spread out Markum locked her up for good. I remember when Nine was made, how I exchanged some of the sperm with the other provinces.

I looked in at the girl, she looked at me with fearful eyes. If she ever got out though we'd all be in trouble. Because her sister is enough trouble. Nine is enough trouble.

Nine

I walked into the lab room, It wasn't Setia this time. It was Theron. I sat down on the paper-covered bed and ran a hand over my stomach, a habit I'd recently had. I smiled as my baby kicked my hand. Theron turned and smiled at me.

"I'm not sure we can keep testing on you for much longer," He told me, "Your pregnancy will definitely affect it." My face fell, We needed to find a cure. The people weren't showing any signs of the virus but it was still there.

"No," I complained, "We need to keep going, we need a cure." Theron folded his arms in front of him and looked at me.

"Nine, if we keep testing it could affect your baby, and the results we could get might be unclear." I bowed my head so he couldn't see the tears well up in my eyes. Part of it was form being pregnant and the other part was from feeling useless. Theron could tell what was going on though. He wrapped his arms around me and my hands clutched his shirt. All the worries of being a mom flooded back to me. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks and i pulled away to brush them off. Theron leaned against his cane.

"I should probably go," I looked at my hands in my lap, "Thank you." I stood and left without saying anymore. I walked down the street and saw Pua coming towards me, well, coming towards the hospital. Towards Theron. She saw my expression and immediately knew something was wrong. She swept me into her arms. I let the tears spill and she held me tighter. We stood there for what felt like ages before she pulled back.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I shook my head and she knew what i meant, "Hey, if anyone can handle all of this it's you." I smiled at her and she grabbed my hand and pulled me down the street. She pulled us into a building I recognized. I remember, before all of this, dancing here with Theron. The wild music was long gone and their were cots lined up along the walls, the Healers doing their rounds. I looked to Pua, not sure where she was going with all of this.

"Nine, Look at all of these people, " I did as i was instructed, "Well, not their injuries and things. But without you,, and the Rise, they'd all still be under Eridian's thumb. I know you're just looking at these people like the ones who are injured because of you. But they look to you with hope, you've given them that hope. The hope for a better future." I smiled sadly, I was just Nine, I wasn't some savior. I remember when I was on Mahawai and Kai telling me I was so brave, that I was so strong. Did everyone look at me like this?

After a while Pua took me back to my apartment, she cut up some fruit and i ate it. We were running out of fresh food so we were starting to ration it out. Kai came home from the battle planning he had with some of the other rebels. He ate some food and we both collapsed into bed. He wrapped me into his arms, which was getting harder with my stomach. I told him what had happened that day and he let me cry into his shirt. His hand brushed down my hair and places kissed on my face, my hair until i fell asleep.

**I'm hoping to lengthen my chapters a whole lot more, but i think this chapter had a lot of content in it. I hope you enjoyed it! Please don't hate me if you find any typo's, i'm really sorry. I'd love for you guys to comment on my chapters and give me feed back. I'll probably post everyday, so this story will be dome pretty soon. Bye! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi everyone! I'm back with another chapter and this is probably going to be a favorite. This story is only here because of Illima Todd, Enjoy!**

Pua

I was sitting on the desk Theron was working at. I watched as his fingers deftly skimmed over buttons. We spent every possible moment together, I'd come work with him, or we'd hang out with Nine and Kai. Theron pressed one more button then looked at me, "Well, that's all I can do today." He said. I jumped to my feet and he followed me. He still walked stiffly because of his wound on his lower over torso.

We made our way to the door and stepped out into the fresh air. "Where should we go?" I asked him. He pursed his lips in thought then turned to me.

"I could show you where I grew up…" I gasped at the thought and nodded vigorously. He slipped his hand into mine and we walked down the street. We came up to a large white building; I marveled when the doors slips open by themselves. He led me to an elevator and we went up to the top floor, "This is the batch tower." He explained. When the doors opened I wasn't surprised to see how organized and clean everything was. Every door had a label on it; there wasn't a glimpse of dust on the floor.

"Are there no batches here anymore?" I asked, we walked down the hall and turned a corner. I saw a bunch of bald children, well teenagers, who were in white tank tops and gray sweat pants. Theron nodded at me.

"They're still here," I read his lips, "And they probably don't know much about what's happening outside the tower." He looked solemn, and then a pained look flashed across his face. I put a hand on his arm and he met my eye. He always seemed to melt when he looked at me.

"Hey, this isn't your fault," I smiled, "You don't have to feel responsible for everything that goes on here." He nodded and we both looked over and were met by the eyes of all 20 people. Theron pulled my further down the hall, we turned so many corners and I felt myself getting dizzy, but it was exciting. He pushed open a door and I smelled something that took my breath away.

"The kitchen." He said, "Me and Nine used to come down here sometimes and eat chocolate." My face lit up at the mention of chocolate, Theron lead us over to a cupboard. He pulled out a box, opened the box and I saw the dark color of chocolate. He handed me a piece and I shoved it into my mouth, sighing contently. It was only on special occasions we'd eat chocolate at Mahawai, but this was far better than any chocolate I've ever eaten.

"How's work going?" I asked Theron when my mouth was empty.

"Eh, we haven't been able to do much since Nine hasn't been in; all we do is analyze her blood over and over again. So hopefully when she has the baby we can get back to work." I nodded and he handed me another piece of chocolate. We both turned as the door flew open and a person wearing what looked like hospital scrubs came in. He looked over us once.

"What are you doing here? Who are you?" Theron grabbed my hand and we walked towards the door, he didn't answer the person; just waved and we slipped around him. As soon as we left the room we were off to a full sprint. Theron lead the way back to the elevators and we practically ran out of the building. When we were out in fresh air we were both panting for air and out sides hurt from running.

Kai

I stood in front of the cells that used to hold the surrogates, now then held the Seekers. We rounded them all up and put them down here. Me and the other leaders, including Theron, didn't really know what to do with them. If we let them back in the city they could escape and come back with reinforcements, they could all kill us, or they could just blend in with how we were living now. The later didn't seem possible.

Me and Theron walked down the rows and rows of cells, there were at least 100 seekers, and there were still some we hadn't caught.

"What are we going to do with them?" Theron asked me, I'd been asking myself the same question. We could let them go; we could shoot them, which I didn't want to do. We could keep them here. I ran a hand through my hair in frustration.

"What if we gave them a trial, like in the past, and determined where their alliances are?" Theron asked me, the thought hadn't even crossed my mind. I'd never been fond of Theron but he wasn't as useless as I'd thought him to be.

"We could do that, the only problem is, we can't tell it they're lying. I mean we could hold them at gun point as we ask them but we'd never actually kill them." I kept my voice down so n one could hear us. Theron nodded.

"Oh," he started, "What if we put the city on lockdown? So no one could get out. And I know what you're thinking, 'They'll still kill us all,' but they only killed because that was their orders from Eri. Without her here they don't receive orders. If we take away their screens away so they can't have any communication." The gears were turning in my head; it could work, despite its many flaws. But there was still the case of them killing us. Unless we confiscated their guns, like we already have.

"Okay, let's at least close the city, then we'll talk." Theron looked stunned, "Did you really think I wouldn't listen to you? Catcher did put you in charge." He closed his mouth and we turned back to walk to the elevator. When we made it up to the ground floor I saw mom coming through the doors.

"Oh Kai, I was looking for you," She said, "Me and your father wanted to have you and Nine come up for dinner. Pua's coming as well, you're invited to Theron." They were three floors above me and Nine's apartment. I though over our plans tonight, well we didn't have any…

"We'd love to, just make sure it's nothing fried or she'll throw up." I laughed as the memory of when I'd cooked for her came to mind. I make some friend chicken and she came to the kitchen and just smelled it. She ran to the bathroom and puked her guts up. Mom nodded then turned to Theron.

"I'd love to, thank you." Me and Theron left the building but mom stayed. She'd been helping the pregnant surrogates and we all knew that in a few months there'd be babies everywhere. We'd renovated some rooms in the core building and they now housed the surrogates. Mom and Pua were the ones who helped them out a lot. Nine sometimes went but it's getting harder for her to do a lot of work now.

Theron was in his same apartment which was one floor below mine, so we walked to the apartment building together most days. We parted ways and I went up to see Nine. She was in the kitchen when I walked in; a warm sweet smell filled the apartment. She'd gotten better at cooking especially since it was only for two people. I walked over to where she was mixing some dough on the counter. I wrapped my arms around her waist and kissed her red hair, which was now past her shoulder blades. Her bump was now completely visible and the baby was starting to kick. She sighed and leaned into me.

"Hello husband," She said, "How was your day?" She pulled away from me to get something out of the oven. She placed a tray of cookies on the counter and began scooping them off the tray.

"Eh, me and Theron think we have a solution to the Seekers." She looked at me questioningly and I told her our plan. She nodded along with me as she plopped the last of the dough onto the tray to go bake in the oven. When I finished recounting the plan I leaned against the back of the couch so I faced the kitchen.

"That could work; you'll just have to search all of the apartments for weapons." I nodded, she was really smart when it came to stuff like this and I almost missed her by my side when I was planning these things. But she was growing my child, so I couldn't complain. Though she'd probably be busier once she'd had the baby, we'd both be busier. It was strange to think that we were still teenagers who were about to become parents in four months. It felt like time had flown by, it felt like we'd just found out we were going to have a baby but really that was five months ago.

"How are you?" I asked her. We both plopped down on the couch and faced each other. I knew she was upset that she couldn't be doing more to help the rise, but she understood why.

"Eh, I was kinda bored today," She said," I had nothing to do, hence the baking."

"You must have been really bored then," I joked, she slapped my arm, "But mom's cooking for us tonight so that'll be fun." She nodded then said:

"I hope it's nothing fried, that wouldn't turn out well." I laughed and she giggled at the memory.

"No, I told her so it should be fine. But if we go up now you and Pua can probably hang out." She nodded and jumped to her feet. I followed her to the kitchen where she pilled cookies on a plate to bring with us. "You're not going to eat those on the way there are you?" She snorted.

"Why would I ever do such a thing," Then she shoved one in her mouth, "Let's go." She didn't even put on shoes so we walked up the stairs. She was panting by the time we reached the top. I took the plate of cookies from her and she pushed the door open. Everyone was already here; I wasn't surprised; we were all usually bored in the evenings so we hung out a lot. The only thing missing was Hemi, Tama and Mahawai. I missed the island so much, no one knew if it'd been destroyed. But I really missed the ocean. I missed the reef and all the fish. But I knew there was no way back there. The virus had been released and we couldn't leave Freedom.

I put the cookies on the counter and hugged my mom, Nine made herself comfortable next to Pua, who had Theron at her other side. I sat on a single couch facing the three of them. It seemed that Pua and Theron were in an intense conversation and Nine was getting involved. I smiled at them as they all laughed and made dramatic hand gestures. We were all still kids. After a while their conversation turned very serious and they were whispering about something. Nine had a very serious face, Pua had a small smile on her face and Theron was also looking tense.

"Okay, it's ready." Mom called as she put food on the small four person table. We all went over and filled out plated with steamed vegetables, potatoes and a meat with delicious sauce. We and Nine sat next to each other on the couch and Pua and Theron took the floor in front of us.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked, they all looked at each other and secretive smiles crossed their faces but they didn't answer, "Oh, come on."

"Well," Pua started, "First we were filling Theron in on everything that happened on the island, and I mean everything." Nine giggled and Pua also let out a laugh. Nine continued what Pua had started saying.

"Well, we told him about when you taught me how to swim, when Tama was born, the steamship visit, Then Pua decided to tell him everything that happened between you and me." I let out a groan and ran a hand own my face, Pua was now laughing so hard and mom and dad just watched the four of us with smiles on their faces.

"Okay…" I let out a huff, "Then you guys got all serious, what was that about?" Pua stopped laughing and looked tentatively at Nine. I knew she had my answer. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, we started talking about baby names. Pua had a bunch and she just spilled," I looked to my sister then back at Nine, it wasn't like I was mad at her for not doing this with me. I was really excited to choose a name for our child, "And we realized I don't even have the faintest idea of what we could name our baby." A small smile crept up my face.

"Well I think I can help with that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys, sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I kinda went on a writing spree for the first few chapters and posted two chapters a day, but I think I'm going to lengthen the future chapters so I'll be posting once or twice a week. But the chapters will definitely be longer and I have a really exciting one coming. I feel like I say that about every chapter. Also I'm really glad that I've been getting views of this story. BTW to anyone who's a fan of Illima Todd have you seen her NEW BOOK!? It was just published and it sounds so cool. But I wish she'd have focused more on the 3rd Remake book instead. All the same SHE HAS A NEW BOOK! I'm so excited to read it, if you can't tell, and I'm so happy that I'm writing this FanFiction. I love how the story is going so far and I'll definitely be incorporating a lot more of Kai's personality including swimming and painting. Also, I keep forgetting that Pua's deaf and keep writing it like she can hear things then I have to re-write a TON of stuff...other than all that I hope you're enjoying the story!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi everyone, this chapter wasn't planned, I basically just wrote then read back and was SO ****surprised ****what I'd just written.**** But I know you'll enjoy it!**

Nine

"Do you like Alika for a boy? It means guardian." Me and Kai were getting ready for bed. I was brushing my teeth and he was getting his pajamas on. I left the bathroom and saw his tattoo that spread across his chest before he pulled his shirt on.

"Eh, it's nice but we've been discussing boy names all night, what if it's a girl?" Kai came over to me and rubbed his hands along my protruding stomach.

"Oh, I know it's a girl," He spoke softly before pressing a kiss to my lips. His arms tightened around me and I ran my finders through his curly hair. He pulled back and leaned his forehead against mine, breathing in my air.

"How do you know it's a girl?" I asked with a small smile. He was always as hard as a rock around people but around me he thawed. He became the most loving, most compassionate person I knew.

"Well, I'm only allowing girls who look just like you." I laughed and pulled back to look at my stomach that was pressing in between us. His hands caressed my stomach and he leaned down and kissed it. I looked up and laughed then he stood up to face me again. He led us towards the bed and we laid facing each other.

"Well, if it is a girl we should probably start discussing girl names." I told him, his thumb traced my jaw.

"Hmm, Hani? It means happy." I shook my head.

"It sounds too much like Hemi." Kai nodded his head and thought again.

"Or Kahula, it means dancing," He gasped, "What about, Leilani? It means heavenly." I smiled; I liked the sound of that.

"I love it." I told him, his face imitated mine, growing in a smile. It really was a beautiful name and our child was already heavenly, even unborn.

"Me too," he told me, "So that's the name then, for a girl?" I nodded and he let out a small laugh, I laughed too. We were really going to be parents!

"I love you Kai, more than you can ever know," I gave him a small kiss and pulled back only a centimeter, "And now I'm going to have a family with you, do you remember right before we had to leave Mahawai?" He nodded. I remember all too well the day we decided to paint my room, the day my tracker malfunctioned.

"Remember how I said I wanted to be a family with you?" A happy tear slid onto my cheek, he brushed it away, "That's finally coming true, and I couldn't be happier." He nodded and pulled my head to his chest, he stroked my hair and my eyes felt heavy. I drifted off to sleep with a smile on my lips.

Kai

The rain was pouring outside. I had a glass of water in hand and Nine was making herself some toast in the kitchen.

"Hmm," Nine looked out the window, "Rain's a bad omen in freedom. It rained and them my shuttle crashed, it rained and I left Theron here."

"Ah, that's where you're wrong. You left Theron and got me instead, was that really a bad omen?" She giggled and I went to stand beside her.

"Sometimes I think it was." My mouth dropped open in a smile; she laughed and shied away from me knowing what was coming. I set my glass down and went to tickle her, which was getting hard with the baby in the way. She shrieked and set the knife she was using to butter her toast on the counter. I backed her up into a corner so she had no escape. She held her hands up in surrender.

"I think if you tickle the baby any more she'll want out." She warned; I smiled at her attempt of escape.

"Nah, I'll need a better reason than that." Her eyes darted back and forth searching for an answer. I took a step towards her again and she looked at me with a fearful smile on her face.

"Ugg, um…I'll, um, make you breakfast…" She offered and I laughed outright. She understood what a stupid offer it was.

"Yeah, 'cause you're the best cook I know." She laughed and I joined her, then when she wasn't looking closed the space between us and my fingers skimmed along her side. She laughed and tried to duck under m arm but I wrapped an arm around her so she couldn't escape. She looked up at me.

"Okay I give up." She was out of breath, and I smiled at my victory. I swooped in and kissed her, I laced my hand into her fiery red hair. She pulled back, "My toast's going cold." She pulled away from me and went to her food. I looked out at the rain again. Maybe Nine was right, maybe something bad was going to happen today. I brushed the thought away and went to our room to get ready. I was always bummed when I say the empty wall. It was for color, then I knew what'd be doing that day.

"Nine," I left the room after I got dressed and went to my wife, "I'm going to paint our room today." She looked at me skeptically. She'd been stuffing her face with some of the leftover cookies.

"How?" She asked when she had room in her mouth to speak.

"Well, I'm sure we can find paint somewhere, I'll ask Pua to help me look." She nodded then swallowed her food. Her eyes lit up and she jumped over the back of the couch.

"I'm coming too." She called as she went to our room to get dressed. I chuckled and left our apartment to see if Pua was up. I knocked on mom and dad's door and was greeted by mom's smiling face.

"Hey honey, what do you need?" I smelled bacon inside and remembered I hadn't eaten. My stomach rumbled and my mouth watered.

"For starters, I'll need some of whatever's cooking. And secondly I was wandering where Pua was?" Mom chuckled and ushered me to the kitchen. Dad handed me a plate of food. I plopped a piece of food in my mouth and sighed in delight, "Mmm, that's good. I haven't had anything like this in a while. It makes Nine puke." Mom laughed.

"Would you rather eat that or have your wife puke?" I laughed in response, "And I think Pua went to Theron's place this morning." I nodded, I probably should have checked there first. I rinsed my plate in the sink and kissed my mom on the cheek before leaving. I went down one floor and down the hall to Theron's door, I paused before knocking. I heard a string of laughs from inside that were unmistakably my sisters. I smiled a bit but also felt my stomach churn protectively. She and Theron were almost inseparably lately and I was wandering why they hadn't just gotten married already; they'd known each other for almost a year now.

I finally knocked on the door and their laughs faded immediately. "Hey love birds; it's your favorite brother." There was a moment of silence then I heard Theron replaying what I'd just said to Pua. Then the door flew open in my face and Pua was in front of me. She held I finger in my face as if she was scolding me.

"Hey, I never said you were my favorite. Sure you may be my twin but Tama needs way less attention than you." I laughed and heard Theron chuckle from inside. I draped my arm around her shoulders and we walked into the kitchen but stopped at the edge of the spilled flour.

"So, how was cooking?" I asked, Theron blushed, Pua giggled, "Also, are you getting married or what?" The silence that followed was neither good nor bad. Theron and Pua seemed to talk to each other through their stare. Pua blushed and Theron's face turned serious. Pua opened her mouth to answer but closed it again.

"I'm joking," I said, "Don't look so petrified." Theron let out a nervous chuckle and turned back to cleaning. Pua slid out from under my arm and went to help Theron in silence. After a minute of me standing there, I went and tapped Pua on her shoulder so she could read my lips. I told her why I really came here.

"I'd be happy to help you," She didn't look at me as she said it, I was worried I'd maybe struck a nerve, "Will Nine be helping as well?" I nodded and she turned back to finish cleaning. After a moment Theron turned to me. Pua couldn't see his lips from where he'd positioned himself.

"Hey, I know you're probably worried you hurt us or something but it's really no big deal," He looked at his feet for a moment before looking at me with a determined face, "I want to propose to her. But I don't know how, or what I'm supposed to do." I was slightly taken aback when he told me this. I was flattered that after everything I'd done to him, he came to me with this. I know I'd been hard on him for a while and I wasn't really welcoming. But now he came to me asking how to propose to my sister.

"Um, well-" I stopped talking as Pua walked past me to get her shoes on, "Well, you usually need a ring, or something. Theirs different traditions and stuff but that's usually how it is." Theron nodded and Pua called me to go. I gave him an encouraging smile before leaving.

Nine was outside the apartment building kicking a rock around the pavement, "Where have you been? I've been waiting here for twenty minutes!" She smacked my arm playfully but had a serious face. I leaned in and kissed her softly before she pulled back abruptly, "Also, what did you eat? It makes me want to puke." I laughed and grabbed her hand in mine. Pua walked next to Nine as we walked down the street to the core building. Nine said it was our best bet, no one really knew where all the construction materials and tools were. Freedom would sometimes change overnight and there were no traces on how. We walked up the street and passed batchers that were recently released from the Tower. Theron decided last week that they should be able to be free.

They'd started to blend in with everyone else, but they didn't fit in. They were always worrying about being remade and all of the other citizens were disgusted at them.

The wind whistled in our ears and Nine's hair whipped me in the face. Nine and Pua started laughing and I brushed it off my face. We got to the Core building and I held the door for my sister and Nine, following after them. There was no one at the desk as everyone basically ditched their jobs. Plus there was tons of damage done to the building but most of it was cleared. Nine went around the desk and opened a folder. Her finder traced down a list of rooms and their floors. She stopped towards the end of the list.

"Apparently, there's a sub-level seven where they keep everything. Let's go." Me and Pua followed her to the elevator but we all stopped when there was a crash behind us. I turned and shielded Nine prepared for anything. I was surprised to see Theron burst through the doors and one of them slam into the wall. He was panting as through he'd run here.

"Hey…" He took in a gulp of air, "Theirs someone trying to get into the city and three people have been shot off the wall on the north side." Nine gasped as though she'd remembered something.

"Eri said they were coming…" She looked at me, "I thought they wouldn't come because of the virus but…" Her voice drifted off and her face turned pale. She rubbed a hand down her stomach and looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"Kai, we need to find a cure fast or everyone will die." Tears ran down her face and I pulled her into my arms, "Take me to the lab, just one more test. Please." My thoughts instantly went to the baby. Our baby.

"No, remember what Theron told you?" I pulled back to look at her, "It could harm the baby." She looked down at her stomach and more tears spilled out.

"I just want to help," She closed her eyes, "I feel so useless." I wiped the tears from her face and turned back to Theron. He shook his head at me as to say, _'It's not happening'. _I nodded and turned back to Nine.

"You're not useless. You're growing our baby." She smiled weakly at me. I turned back to Theron, "Take me there. Oh, and bring some guns. Pua, you take Nine home." They both looked me and I knew they were about to complain so I made my way to the door, leaving no room for excuses. Theron followed behind me.

We climbed up the ladder to the top of the stone wall that was constructed along with Freedom. I pulled me handgun into my hand then climbed up to look out. You could see the ocean on one side and stone on the other. There was a thin road weaving through the rock and I could see a large car with spikes along the front. It was positioned somewhat behind a large rock. There was a large gun on the side of the vehicle but it didn't appear to need a person for it to shoot.

"Kai," I turned to the voice and saw one of the rebels, "We shot at them a few times but their vehicle appears to be bullet-proof." I cursed. They could shoot at us and we couldn't do anything about it.

**I'd love to get some comments! How do you like the story so far? **


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi everyone, do you like how the story is so far? Also, little spoiler: Nine will have the baby within 20 chapters so please stick around. And, um...I will be answering some of your comments and reviews at the end of each chapter so please send some my way...**

Kai

I cursed and looked over the wall again, the gun was pointing right at us. I couldn't see a driver due to the blackout windows, but I knew there had to be one.

"Theron, we need some grenades and bombs." I told him, everyone who could hear me turned to me. I continued to inspect the car tank thing even though I knew everyone was looking at me questioningly. Though I was looking at the car my thoughts were elsewhere. Nine. She was probably going ballistic right now. She was always by my side in any circumstance but because she's pregnant she can't do much anymore. I know it drives her crazy but there's not much we can do.

"A-are you sure?" Theron asked me, I turned to face him and saw everyone watching me. Their eyes held the same question. We could try to bomb them but we might not even reach them, they were quite a distance away. Or we could in fact reach them and they could drive away before any major damage happened.

"Well, do you have a better plan?" I asked him, then louder, "Do any of you have a better plan?" People exchanged glances then their eyes dropped to their feet.

"Okay, well, do you have any grenades or bombs?" Theron had caught me, I actually didn't have any.

"No, but surely Freedom had some kind of arsenal. I mean where did the Seekers get all of their things?" Theron nodded. He pursed his lips and I've grown used to the quirk when he's thinking. Nine draws her eyebrows together, Pua tap's her teeth together, and I, well...I'm not sure.

"Hmm, I'd guess the core building but I'm sure Eri has tons of passwords and locks. Though I'm sure we could get the information from a Seeker." Was it just me, or did everything seem to be in the core building?

"Okay, let's go." I turned to the rebel next to me, "Don't shoot at them, do you have a spare walky-talky?" He grabbed one off his belt and handed it to me, "Great, if anything happens just tell me." He nodded and I followed Theron down the ladder. When we hit the ground we were off to a speed walk. The rain was sprinkling when me, Nine and Pua went to the core building and now it had stopped. There was still a mist in the air that crawled up my arms.

The core building wasn't very far from where we were. It'd take up around five minutes to get there at the pace we were going. I could see the tall building looming in front of us, it's pristine white walls were glistening with the rain stuck to it. My feet slapped on the wet pavement as we got closer to the building. Finally we got to the doors and I took in a needed deep breath. I opened the door and headed in with Theron trailing me. I went behind the counter as Nine had done not ten minutes ago. The folder was still open and I read through the list of buildings.

Ground-Bathrooms, food

Sub-level 1- Conference rooms

Sub-level 2- Surrogates/Birthing rooms

There were loads of rooms and I expected the weapons to be either really far down, or really far up. My eyes skimmed down the list , towards the end I found the floor. It was as I expected; far down.

Sub-level 8- Sick bay

Sub-level 9- Defense

Bingo, "Let's go Theron. Sub-level 9." We headed towards the elevators that had been turned back on since the bola grenades. I pressed the button that would take us down nine floors. It was a strange, unfamiliar sensation as we went down. I'd only been in a few elevators since I've been in Freedom and I still haven't gotten used to it.

"This place has a whole lot more floors than I thought," Theron said, "And to think I lived above this for 17 years." I let out a sigh.

"Theron, I'm sure there are many secrets about Freedom that Eridian has hid from all of you that were right under your feet," He nodded, "And if we ever reform the city we might be able to find all of them." Even the thought of making the city right seemed impossible yet wondrous. It would take a lot of hard work, and not much could even change in my life time.

"I'm hoping we can make things right." Theron said softly. The doors opened in front of us and we stepped out, but stopped after a few steps. There was a wall in front of us that wasn't made of the same white stone, but instead a sheer silver. It looked like steel. There was a hallway that went left and right, "Which way?" Theron asked, he looked up and down the hallway. There were only a few doors visible and who knew what security measures were placed on them. The walls were already reinforced and Eridian had already succeeded in such vile things. She seemed to be the queen of torture. There could be anything from a poisonous gas to bombs.

"Well, you go one way, I go the other." I told him even though I knew it was a stupid idea. I scratched my head, still fantasizing all of the glorious traps there could be.

"Heck no, what if one of us gets into trouble?" He asks skeptically.

"Well, you know how to scream, right?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow. Theron let out a chuckle, a smile crept up my face too.

"No, I think I need to refresh my memory. Do you think you could give me a lesson really fast?" I rolled my eyes and turned right so I could look down this hallway.

"Hardy-har, get going." He turned left, down his hallway and neither of us looked back as we walked down the long, continuous hallway. It seemed like forever till I reached the first door even though I knew it'd only taken a few minutes. I heard Theron open a door a ways behind me. I reached for the doorknob after I had my gun in hand. I knew Theron had one with him but I knew he wasn't a very good shot. He'd shot a gun in the past and I'd given him a few lessons but his hands weren't built for shooting, they were built for desk work; typing, writing. Though he wasn't good at handling a gun, he could definitely beat you in a fist fight. I'd learned that the hard way.

The door swung in and the room was dark. I kept my gun pointed In front of me as I searched for a light switch on the wall. When my hand caught on something I pulled it up and the room lit up. I held my breath, some kind of defense system could be activated my switching the light on. Finally, after a few seconds and I was sure it was okay, I let my eyes look around. My breath caught as I surveyed the room before me. There were shelves lining the walls and on those shelves were ammo boxes. Row after row of boxes. The room was filled floor to ceiling with ammo that could easily end all of Freedom. What was Eridian planning with all this? There clearly weren't any guns in this room.

I backed out of the room and closed the door. I could see another one to my left so I continued on to that one. Once again I opened the door slowly, keeping my gun straight ahead. Before I could search for a light switch though I heard a crash inside the room and I immediately slammed the door shut in front of me. I jumped out of the way just as something solid and heavy -by the sound of it- hit the door. I went to the next door that was a pew paces away, this one had a door that -instead of the hard wood from the two previous- was made of a silver steel like the walls. This door couldn't just be opened as there was a keypad next to it. There could be any possible combination, how could I find the exact one?

I was now so far down the hall that I couldn't see or hear Theron. My attention was on the keypad, what could it be? My mind flipped through ideas and landed on one. Nine. I wouldn't be surprised if Eri had used that one single number, but it's not very creative. I reached for the key pad and pressed that one single letter. I held my breath awaiting the answer. There was a light above the keypad that I hadn't seen, it flashed red and a buzz came from it. I sighed and began pressing other numbers in all sorts of combinations. After five or six attempts a buzz came again, but louder. The red light still flashed and I knew what the loud repeating buzz meant. If I tried again it could set off a trap or something.

Suddenly I heard a faint call, Theron. I turned and jogged down the hall; he could be in trouble or could have found the grenades. I came up to a large, wooden door. It was wide open and Theron stood inside. "Hey, I found them..." His voice trailed off as he turned back to survey the large room filled with boxes. The room was easily bigger than my house on Mahawai, and it was filled with deadly weapons.

"Great, lets grab some and go." I told him. we both walked to a box and I tried to lift it, "Did they put rocks in here?" Theron laughed and opened the box. Inside were small, but destructive grenades. He grabbed some and put them in his pocket. I too grabbed five and loaded my jackets pockets.

"How'd you get in here anyways?" I asked him. We turned to leave.

"Well, there was a keypad and I just guessed, my guess so happened to be right. It was my batch number, well, I'm sure Eri chose it 'cause it was Nines batch number."

"Hmm," I was going to ask if all the keypads could be the same but I cut myself short when I realized how preposterous it was. Though I did want to get into that room because the keypad and steel door lead me to believe that something special is inside. I knew I'd be coming down here again in hopes to get into the room and to explore others.

"What was that?" Theron asked me. We walked down the hallway and the stairs appeared to our right. We turned onto them and began our climb.

"Nothing."

The rain had started again, only this time it wasn't the little shower, but a full on storm. Thunder roared outside as me and Theron were facing the glass doors. The rain bounced off the road like tiny crickets. We got rain on Mahawai but nothing like this. This was something new, the temperature had dropped outside due to the little sun being warded off by the tick gray clouds. You couldn't see very far in front of you, giving Freedom a spooky look and feel. We waited by the doors and I felt sorry for everyone on the fall who could -no doubt- not see the tank they were supposed keep an eye on. And because they were most likely drenched.

"So, we wait here then?" Theron asked, it was a stupid question seeing as if we did go out we'd get drenched, then if we were on the wall we wouldn't even be able to see anything. I huffed and turned away from him, I walked over to a wall and leaned against it. I shut my eyes briefly, this morning had been completely normal and now I was stuck in the middle of a bombing, that we could do nothing about. Nine was at home with Pua -thankfully- but was no doubt insanely mad that she couldn't be helping with this. I felt a small buzz at my waist and reached down. My fingers brushed the walky-talky and my senses immediately heightened. I pulled it up to my face and heard a scratching sound coming from it. They dulled and I could hear faint words being drowned out by the rain.

"Can't..." Scratch, "S- them..." I knew what they were meaning to say and I pressed the button that would allow me to talk to them. I just hoped they'd be able to hear me over the downpour.

"Stay there," I told them, "If you can't see them then they can't see you. We're on our way." I slipped it back into my pocket and headed for the door. Theron looked at me like I was crazy, when I held the door for him. Mist sprayed into the room and thunder cracked outside. I rolled my eyes when Theron wouldn't just step out into the rain. I took a step forward and was drenched in moments. The rain beat down on my head and Theron appeared beside me. We took off at a full sprint so we'd get there faster. The buildings whizzed bye as we ran. There wasn't a single person in sight and I wished I could be in a nice, dry building like they were.

We came up to the wall and I always dreaded climbing the metal ladder but now it would be even worse as it was wet. I took hold of the first rung and stepped up. My books easily held with the treads they had on them. But my hands were another story. They slipped and slid no matter what I did. Eventually I made it to the top and wasn't greeted with anything but more cold and people looking to me and Theron with a way to solve our problem. Though the rain wasn't on our side, we couldn't see if the tank had moved, we couldn't just throw a grenade in a random direction and hope for the best. Well, the grenade might not even do much damage in the rain!

I handed the people next to me a grenade each so we'd have a better chance at hitting them. Theron stood next to me in the pouring rain with everyone looking to us, "We'll have better luck hitting them when the rain has calmed down." I said loudly over the roar of the rain. For now we'd just have to wait it out. I leaned down and sat against the wall.

"So we'll just wait it out." Theron said, I nodded and people around us looked up at the pouring rain, it showed no signs of stopping. Theron walked farther along the wall to tell people what we were planning. Wisps of water caught on my eyelashes and I dipped down so the rain fell on my hair instead. I heard people taking amongst themselves around me but I wasn't concerned with what they were saying. Theron came back and sent someone the other way down the wall to recall the plan again. He'd stepped into the role Catcher had given him nicely. I understood that we both mostly worked as a team but it was him who everyone depended on. I wasn't jealous, it was giving him a chance to really find himself among the rebels.

The rain had started clearing up after an hour or so. We were all up and ready to go, the worst was yet to come. The sun hadn't yet peaked through the clouds and most up had goose bumps along our arms left by the relentless, frigid rain. I had a grenade in one hand and a gun in the other. People around me had one or the other in their grasp as well. There was still a fog in the way of our view of the tank/car, but it was just beyond that. We were all getting ready to blow them up. The people who were shot off the wall were taken away while me and Theron were at the Core Building. I didn't know who they were or where they'd been taken but it still hung over me.

We all looked out over the glistening water and my stomach churned as numerous memories flooded my mind. They were mostly ones of Nine and me but it was still hard not to resist just jumping off the bridge and going for a swim. But I didn't because if I did Nine would surely follow and I couldn't have that. Another reason why I couldn't was because people were looking at me as a leader and I don't thing going for a joy swim would make me seem responsible when there was so much more to do.

There was a red/orange cliff that the water gushed against and the rock had a path carved in. The tank was just coming into view and I didn't move my gaze from it. The gun hadn't moved and was still pointing at us. I motioned for Theron, he came to my side. "We need everyone ready to shoot and throw the grenades at the same time. It's now or they'll have a better shot at us."

"Sounds like a plan." He said, he turned and told everyone then motioned for silence. The quiet was unsettling but broken by the distant waves. Everyone was definitely in view of the tank now and all that was needed was to get rid of it. Theron took in a breath and I knew what was coming, "Ready, now!" I pulled the lever so it would explode. I threw it forwards and watched at a burst of orange and red erupted from it. Others erupted in mid-air and other people fired their guns, giving a huge eruption of sound all at once. Someone who had a really good aim, threw theirs and it landed in front of the bullet-proof car. It didn't have enough time to back up and it was thrown backwards. It flipped over onto it's back and you could barely see the glass shatter from the front window.

I pulled my gun forwards and fired at best I could. There wasn't much to shoot at but as long as no one survived. We didn't want anyone to go running back to give Eri an update wherever she was. I looked over at Theron and he had a pained look on his face...I knew how he left. No one wanted to turn into a killer, but there wasn't much choice. Another way to prove how Freedom wasn't free from anything.

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	9. Chapter 9

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Nine

I paced back and forth, I'm sure all of Freedom had heard the immense crash of guns and explosions. The only problem was, no one knew who had caused it. It could have been the intruders or the rebels. I looked out the window, the dark sky only made me more nervous. Kai had been gone all day and for all I know he could have died. I was running out of finder nails to bite and my back was starting to hurt from pacing. I fell onto the couch and absentmindedly ran a hand over my stomach. Baby had been restless and kept tossing and turning. It was a strange feeling but always amazed me and made me smile. She'd been kicking but not hard enough for Kai to feel yet.

I sat for a few minutes but stood and began pacing again. What if he really was dead? I couldn't raise baby on my own. I couldn't live without him. My breath shuddered as I thought of all the bad things that could have happened. I went to the kitchen and got myself a glass of water. But after that went straight to the bathroom because of the baby pressing on my bladder. When I finished I went back to pacing in front of the door. After another ten minutes my pacing broke when the door opened and I flew into Kai's arms. He held me and kicked the door closed behind him with his foot.

"I thought you'd died when you didn't come home," I said into his neck, "I thought you'd died, I...I..." Tears formed in my eyes and wiped them away with my thumb as Kai proceeded with shushing me. I pulled back and brought his face towards mine. His lips were soft against mine and sent a warm shiver down my spine. I laced my fingers into his hair and his arm wound around my back. The other was lost in my hair, pulling me closer. His hand on my back slid beneath the hem of my shirt and my hands traced down his neck. After a moment I pulled back slightly and took in a needed breath, his heart was thumping beneath my hand. His hand moved from my hair and tipped my head back by my chin. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead, then the tip of my nose.

"It's okay, I'm okay," He said softly. He squatted down and each of his hands held my stomach, "And how's Lani?" I smiled, I loved that he just talked to her like she was a _she_ and was already here.

"Absolutely restless," I sighed as I said it. Kai stood and wrapped me in a hug, I leaned into him," What happened?"

"Well, there was a bullet proof car thing, me and Theron got explosives from the core building," I tensed as he said it, "Well, it was pouring when we got back to the wall so we waited an hour or so while it cleared. Then we...blew them up." I pulled out of his arms and looked at him questioningly. He couldn't be serious, had he thought that there might be other Prime Makers in there. Now their Freedoms would have no one. His eyes held pain and confirmed my question.

"No, why did you do that?" I asked him, my tone slightly loud. I stepped back from him so there was a good two feet between us.

"Nine, you don't get it. We couldn't just go talk to them, we couldn't shoot at them." I ground my teeth. He wasn't wrong, but who knew what they were here for. Maybe they just shot the three people to show what they could do, had he thought of that?

"No, I get it...you just killed innocent people!" My voice was rising with each word, "And did you even consider that there could have been Prime Makers in there? That you could've just put thousands of people in danger?"

"Nine, the other Prime Makers are probably worse than Eridian, and maybe their freedoms are better off without them!" He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Why do you think it's always up to you to save everyone?"

"No! Don't you dare tell me that caring for people is wrong!" I was practically yelling now and I only hopped the walls were thick. Kai took a step forward and I stepped back.

"Nine-"

"No! You don't just get to brush it off. YOU _KILLED_ THEM!" Kai stood stock still and stared at me. I felt a fresh set of tears coming to the surface. How could he have just killed them? And Theron, just going along with it? I knew he wanted what was best but surely he'd been thinking of the consequences of his actions. Surely he'd been thinking about the other Freedoms, right?

"Nine, I know you're mad," I glared at him, "But what do you want me to do now. They're already dead."

"How can you just say that?" I accused, "Are you stupid? Those people could have just been told what to do and didn't have a choice!"

"Stop pushing all of this on me! Sure they could've just been ordered to do it but you should know of all people, that everyone has a choice." He ran a hand through his hair and I could tell he was angry, "Why do you always blame yourself for everything that happens around here? The only thing you need to worry about right now is Lani but you just take on everything else."

"Don't bring our child into this! Kai, I just care about everything that happens around here because I lived here. I knew what it was like before all the rebels and everything. I knew that people were happy here, but everything changed when I left. When I left Eri inflicted curfew, she tore Freedom apart to find me. So yes I do blame myself for what's happening now."

"But you had to get away; you understood that you could never live here. Maybe it was a good thing that you left and now the people here have had a taste of what lives supposed to be like."

"Kai, just..."I growled, "You killed them when you had no reason too..." A tear slid onto my cheek and I knew I needed to get away from him. When I looked at him I saw innocent people that he'd killed. I went to the door and he grabbed my arm as I passed in an attempt to stop me. I pulled my arm from his grip and pulled the door open. I stepped out of the apartment without looking back at him. I slammed the door shut and took off up the stairs.

When I reached the floor that Pua stayed on with her parents I turned down the hallway. I was breathing heavily because the trek up the stairs was a lot more exhausting with a baby. I found there door and knocked; only hoping it wouldn't be Ara who answered. I was a mess with tear stained cheeks and flushed face. Luck was on my side; Miri opened the door and took me it. I stepped forwards and she pulled me into her arms. Her hand rubbed up and down my back as the few tears left slowly slid down my face.

"What happened?" She asked me softly. She led me over to the couch and sat me down. She placed herself next to me. I looked down at my hands as I began to talk.

"Kai and I got into a fight," I told her, she was like a mother to me and I knew I could say anything to her, "Well, he told me about what happened today. There was this bullet proof car that was trying to get into Freedom. He decided that the only thing they could do was blow it up." My breath shuddered but no tears fell.

"I told him there could have been Prime Makers in it and their Freedoms would probably plunge into chaos. But then he accused me of blaming myself for everything, then he brought baby into it..." Miri looked at me with a concerned face before pulling me into a hug.

"Nine, its okay. You and Kai were bound to get into at least one fight and now it's happened. But one fight isn't enough to change your love for him right?" I nodded, "Good, so you'll figure out a way to forgive him and you'll find a way to get past this." I nodded again and pulled out of the embrace.

"Thank you... did you and Ara fight?" I asked her. They seemed like a fairytale story but I knew that there must have been something's that weren't perfect.

"Yes, a lot in the beginning but after we'd have Kai and Pua we always worked things out before it got bad." She smiled as she said it and I knew talking about probably brought memories back. I'm sure her and Ara just think it's silly now and in a few years me and Kai might be laughing at this.

"For now," She started, "You should sleep, you can stay here tonight. Rest is best when you're pregnant." I nodded and she got up to go find blankets. I laid down on the couch and pulled one of the embroidered pillows beneath my head. Miri returned with a soft blanket that she draped over me. She left to go to bed herself. Though I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep much tonight. Baby was kicking and punching and by the feel of it, doing somersaults. I rested a hand on my belly and felt a kick beneath my hand. I gasped, I hadn't been able to feel a kick from outside yet. I wanted so badly to go tell Kai but I knew I couldn't face him right now. Baby kicked again and I smiled, just four months to go.

Kai

She slammed the door behind her and I knew I'd messed up. I ran a hand down my face in frustration. I knew she'd gotten mad so easily because she was pregnant but she still didn't know half the situation I was in. I wondered where she'd gone, either to see mom or Pua. I could tell she was really upset that I'd killed them, and I knew she hated the idea of me being a killer, but there was someone trying to get into Freedom, they'd shot three people already, what else could we have done. I needed to do something besides stand here. There was no way I was going to be able to sleep no matter how late it was. I left the apartment and ran down the stairs. I pushed open the doors and felt the chilly air crawl along my skin.

I took off running down the street and didn't stop. I ran for at least an hour before I felt exhausted. I kept running though. There was a burn creeping into my legs and it was a good distraction from Nine. I ran past the wall I'd been on not long ago and felt a pang of guilt. My steps slowed until I was at a complete stand still. Now I was blaming myself for everything that happened with me and Nine. Had I damaged our relationship forever? Would she forgive me?

After a moment I decided to go back home. I climbed into bed and felt utterly alone without Nine beside me. I knew I had to speak to her tomorrow.

Nine

I'd been tossing and turning all night. Baby was even more active and I'd gone to the bathroom three times that night. Eventually I ditched the idea of sleep and sat up. Most of the rooms had a window facing the city but this room in particular was facing the ocean. The water sparkled with the reflection of the moon. The waves crashed against Freedom's rocks. It reminded me of when me and Kai were traveling to Freedom from Mahawai, the ocean looked just the same then. I recalled the one night when there was a full moon and the sky was so bright even though it was night.

It was five in the morning when baby finally settled down and I knew I could attempt to sleep. I laid back down and tried to sleep. But all my thoughts kept me awake. Would Kai ever forgive me? I knew I'd been so mad at him because I'm pregnant and really emotional but I was mostly upset that'd he'd just done it.

The sun finally began to rise at seven and so did people. Pua came out of her room with puffy eyes and crazy hair. She noticed me, smiled and came to sit beside me, "What brings your divine presence here today?"

"Nothing divine at all," I said to her, "Kai and I got into a fight last night so I came here." Her smile faltered and her eyebrows nit together in concern.

"Oh, what happened?" She asked. I told her everything I'd told Miri and at the end of the story she wrapped an arm around me, "I'm sorry. Kai can be a jerk sometimes." I laughed. Pua was good at lightening situations.

"Sometimes?" We both laughed and Miri came out of her room too. She smiled when she saw me and Pua laughing together.

"Have a good sleep Nine?" She asked me. She went to the fridge and took out some eggs.

"Anything but," I said, "Baby wouldn't stop tumbling around. And I'm starting to think it might be a boy with all the kicking and punching its doing." Miri laughed, and Pua smiled at my stomach.

"That's how Hemi was." I smiled then it saddened, I missed Hemi and Tama so much and I couldn't imagine what it was like for Miri. She'd missed most of Tama's babyhood and Hemi was almost eight now. And I knew Joramae would still be in the dark with what had happened to Catcher. And I knew when her and Hattie find out they'll be devastated. I know how close Joramae was to Catcher.

"I'm not complaining about it, but I do enjoy sleep," Pua and Miri laughed and I stood up from the couch. I went to the bathroom and went pee. When I finished I stood beside Miri in the kitchen, "Need help?" I asked her.

"Nah, you go sit." She shooed me away. I sighed and sat at a chair by the small kitchen table. I ran my fingers through my hair, attempting to comb out the knots. Pua plopped herself in a chair opposite me. She smiled at me.

"So…I had this idea." She told me.

"Oh no, what is it?" She laughed and continued.

"Well, I was thinking that your baby will need cloths, so…what if we went to the Batch Tower or somewhere to find stuff?" I hadn't thought this far ahead and I'm grateful Pua did. I'd probably end up having the baby and have nothing for it.

"Absolutely, yes. I love that idea!" She clapped her hands and I giggled, "Miri, do you want to come with us?" I wanted her to be involved with everything; she was the closest thing I had to a mother.

"Hmm," She started, "Of course! We can go after breakfast." The smell of eggs filled the house and it pulled Ara into the hallway. He gave his wife a kiss then turned towards the table. He came and sat down leaving one seat left.

"Hello Nine," I smiled, "Is Kai coming as well?" My smile faltered and Pua looked from me to him. Miri turned as well to see what was going to happen.

"Ara, I need your help here." Miri was a lifesaver. Ara stood and joined his wife. My face changed from a smile to a blank expression. Pua gave me a weak smile and I heard Miri talking to Ara in a hushed tone. I knew she was probably explaining the Me and Kai situation. Ara brought over a bowl of scrambled eggs and turned to take a plate from Miri's hands. He places a plate of buttered toast on the table and gave me a smile and a small nod. Relief flooded in and I gave him a tight lipped smile. There was a knock on the door and Ara walked to open it. Theron stepped into the room and my stomach dropped. Pua still didn't know he was here and nearly jumped out of her skin when he placed his hands on her shoulders behind her. She tipped her head back and smiled.

I knew Theron was also with Kai when they blew up the car and I felt my frustration reaching out for him as well. Pua stood from her seat and turned to give him a kiss. Pua knew that he'd been with Kai when they blew up the car but she didn't show any signs of anger. I felt somewhat jealous. She didn't care what he'd done…and my and Kai just got in a big fight about it. Theron took the last seat and Miri brought over a plate of grapes. Ara gave up his seat for his wife and soon we were all eating. I piled food onto my plate as I was famished and I began to stuff my face. Miri stood beside me, she looked at me with a mouthful of food and her eyes told me she was about to laugh. I glared at her and she covered her mouth to hide a smile.

"Oh, shut up," I told her with food still in my mouth, "Baby is eating everything, I'm starving." She laughed but not loudly enough that it'd draw attention to me. After I'd finished my food I went and rinsed my plate clean under the tap water and offered to do the other dishes. Ara brushed me away and took over. Me, Pua and Miri all got ready to leave. I had to go downstairs to get some shoes and though I didn't want to there was no possible way to avoid Kai. I trekked down the stairs and when I reached my floor went the door. I tried the door knob and it opened, Kai hadn't locked the door. I swung the door open and stepped inside. Kai was nowhere to be seen but our bedroom door down the hallway was closed so I assumed he was there. Luckily my shoes were by the door and I didn't have to go find them in my room.

I slipped my feet into the beaten up tennis shoes I'd gotten in the rebel village. I closed the door behind me and found Miri and Pua waiting in front of the door. We all headed down the last few stories together and by the end of it I was questioning why they hadn't just put an elevator in. I stood and caught my breath for a minute before heading up the street. I knew it would be a long trip with the pace I was going. We made our way down the street towards the Batch tower; I couldn't wait to see what we could find. Though I'm sure it'll be white and gray.

Finally we came up to the building and Pua held the door for me and Miri. I went around the front desk and knew there would be a file with all the floors. I spied a red folder that had floors written on its spine with a black marker. I pulled it out and found a list of all the floors. I traced my finger down the list and was nearing the end when I found it, Fosterer sup. I knew it stood for fosterer supplies. The floor was #4 so I went to the elevator with Miri and Pua following close behind me. I pressed the correct floor button and we began to travel up.

When the door opened in front of us we stepped out into a hallway, "So this whole floor is stuff the Fosterers use," I told them, "We should look around the whole floor." Miri and Pua nodded and Miri pointed to the hallway behind me. I turned that way and the three of began walking down the hall. There was a door coming up on our left. I turned towards it and twisted the handle, the door opened. We all stepped inside and took in the contents of the room. There were shelves lining the back wall and a long, continuous table wrapping around the rest of the walls. The shelves were floor to ceiling and each of them had a label on them. The first read, NewB. The second read 6mos. The third: 1yr. The firth: 2yr. And so on. Each shelf appeared to be full of clothes and blankets. I stepped closer and my guesses where right.

I stepped to the NewB shelf and pulled a little white vest from the shelf. My heart melted, it was so small, and even though it was only white it was so cute. I scanned the shelf and was put out that there was only white. Further up the shelves though more gray appeared. The blankets on the shelves were also white. There were two kinds of blankets on the NewB shelf. There were thin ones that seemed to be like the ones Miri used to swaddle Tama. There were also think ones Miri would use to keep Tama warm when he was sleeping.

Pua stepped next to me and let out an, Aww, before pulling a blanket off the shelf. She opened it and it opened, I smiled. I could imagine baby in all of this. I nodded and pulled more baby vests into my arms. We'd need more than one. I had seven or eight in my arms. I carried them over to the table and dumped them. I returned to the shelf and pulled some of the thin blankets off the shelf and took them over to the table as well. After that Pua brought some of the thicker blankets over as well. Miri was bringing over some bigger vests from the 6mos shelf and I headed towards that shelf. This shelf didn't have the thinner swaddling blankets but instead some tiny gray sweatpants. I grabbed a few and deposited them on the table along with the array of other items.

"I think we have enough clothes for a while," I told them, "We can always come back." They nodded. We had ten blankets all together and eight NewB vests, nine 6mos vests, and eight pairs of 6mos sweatpants.

"We can leave this stuff here and go looking in other rooms." Pua suggested. I nodded and the three of us headed out of the room. We walked down the hall again and there was a door on our right this time. The door swung open when Pua twisted the handle. In this room though there were boxes on the shelves. There were labels on the shelved the exact same as the previous room, "What do you think it is?" Asked Pua. I shrugged my shoulders, walked to the shelves and pulled a box off the shelf. It was surprisingly light and when I looked inside I scrunched my eyebrows together. I had no clue what I was looking at. Miri and Pua came to my side. Miri pulled one of the mystery items out and realization crossed her face.

"Oh, diapers," She turned it around to show me, "They're not like the cloth ones I use for Tama, these ones are made of…well, I'm not sure." I took one out of the box and folded out some little tabs on the sides. I found another fold on them and pulled it out. It was kind of sticky and I put the pieces together. It sticks to the front of the diaper and holds it on.

"Yeah, let's take a box of these." I told them. I lifted the box into m arms but Pua took it from me. I sighed; she wasn't going to let me carry it. There were only diapers in this room so we all walked together out of the room. Pua ran ahead and took the box of diapers with the cloths in the other room. Me and Miri walked down the hall and I spied a door coming up on our left. Pua came to my side and we all went into the room. This room was filled with what Miri called binkies. They were in plastic wrapping and hung along the walls around the room. Miri helped me find the smallest size that would fit in baby's mouth. We selected a few so if one went missing we'd have a backup. We decided that they were small enough that we could just carry them to the next room instead of running them back to the rest of our stuff. The next room was filled with bigger stuff. This room had boxes of cribs. They were set up on the Batch floor but they were all stored here. We chose one, their wasn't really a decision to make as they were all gray.

We decided we had more than enough stuff to carry and made our way back to the clothes room with the crib in Pua's arms. When we got to the room we decided to pile all of the clothes onto one of the blankets and hold all of the corners so it was like a bag. I carried the clothes at it was the lightest. Pua had the box with the crib in her arms and Miri carried the diapers and we all made our way back to the elevators. We'd been here for about two hours.

"Well, I think that was pretty successful," I told them, they nodded in agreement, "And fun." They both smiled and nodded.

"I can't wait to come back here." Pua said. I laughed; she was always so pleased with such little things. If anyone saw us they'd say we'd traveled slowly on our way to the Tower but we went twice as slow on our way back. I knew that Pua and Miri could go faster but they walked slower to match my pace. When we got to the apartment I was dreading the stairs Pua and Miri took the stairs at a normal pace but I on the other hand took them a whole lot more slowly. By the time I reached the first story I was panting and I couldn't think about doing three more. Pua and Miri were smiling at me as I caught my breath.

"You…can go ahead," I panted, "I'll be there in a while." They laughed and Miri reached for the blanket of clothes and pilled it on top of the diapers so it tucked nicely beneath her chin. I gave her a grateful smile and we continued up the stairs again. By the time we reached my floor we were all panting. I had one hand on my back and the other rubbing my stomach. We walked to my door that was still unlocked. When we all pushed into the big front room that had the kitchen and living room there was no sign of Kai but the bedroom door was open. Everything was dumped on the couch for us to sort out.

I went to the kitchen and got a glass out of the cupboard and filled it with water. I drank the whole thing and filled another glass. I downed this one as well. Miri came and got one as well but Pua was too busy sorting cloths into piles to care. I went over to help her. We sorted all of the NewB stuff from 6mos and we folded all of the blankets in to a neat pile.

"Where are you going to put all of this stuff?" Pua asked me. I was quiet for a moment and that's when I heard the sound of a shower: Kai. He was here but didn't know I was. I brushed it off and made a mental map of my room, searching for a place to store the baby stuff.

"I'm not sure. We probably have some room in our closet because we don't have much stuff." After a few days in freedom we'd gone and gotten clothes, well the ones that looked most normal. Freedom didn't have any maternity clothes so I either wore shirts that were too big so they fit around my belly or I wore Kai's shirts.

"Well, let's go figure it out. Pua jumped up and held out a hand for me. I let her pull me up and lead me towards the bedroom. We went to the closet and there wasn't really much stuff in it. We moved some things to leave a good amount of space for baby's things. Me and Pua brought the blankets and cloths into the room. We stacked the blankets on one shelf and began to arrange the clothes on another. I hadn't noticed but the shower had stopped and when I turned away from the closet I almost tripped over my feet when I saw Kai. He was standing in the doorway of the bathroom that was connected to our room. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair was sparkling with water stuck to it. His tattoo spread across and I tore my gaze away from him. I headed out of the room brushing off the concerned look he was wearing.

I went back to the front room and found Miri coming towards the bedroom with the box of diapers. She passed me as I continued to where Pua was with the crib, "So, where is this going to go?" She asked me. I thought of all the places in my room, I knew I wanted baby to be close to me.

"How about on the wall next to my bed?" Pua nodded and pulled the box into her arms. We were about to go set it up but Kai walked out of the room. He'd gotten dressed but his hair still shinned. He walked past Miri and she whispered something to him. Ne shook his head, Miri huffed and he continued to the door. He swung it open, stepped out, closed it behind him and he was gone. I looked to Pua and she looked at me. I motioned for us to continue but she stayed planted where she was.

"Why don't you go talk to him?" She asked softly. Miri was in the bedroom putting the diapers away. I let out a slow breath.

"Can we continue please?" Pua shoulders drooped but she continued down the hall. When we got to the room we opened the box and pulled out but jumble of pieces. There was a mattress of sorts wrapped around what appeared to be the frame. There was just the right amount of space for it to go n the corner beside the bed. We pulled the frame over and it was fairly simple. We pulled out the four corners and pushed the middle piece down so it all popped into place. Miri brought over the mattress and laid it in the bottom.

"Hmm, it's not very soft." Miri said, she went over to the shelf and pulled one of the thicker blankets down. She laid it in the bottom and nodded, "That should work." I nodded.

"Pillow?" I asked, she shook her head.

"If the baby rolls over into the pillow it could suffocate." She told me. I made sense.

"Okay, so we're done?" I asked them. I felt fatigue crawling into me.

"Yep," Miri said, "You look tired Nine. Why don't we leave and you can sleep." I nodded and they left. I crawled into bed and barely pulled the blanket over me before I fell asleep.

I woke feeling very refreshed but empty. It was four in the afternoon and my stomach was growling. I rolled out of bed and went to the kitchen. I opened one of the cupboards and pulled out some crackers. We'd started to ration fresh food so we maybe had some for dinner. We'd frozen most of the meat we still have left. I went to the fridge and pulled out a block of cheese, I cut off some thin slices to eat with my crackers. I put everything on a plate and went back to my room. I sat in bed and eat my food in silence. Baby kicked and I put my hand on my stomach to feel. I smiled and got another kick right under my hand. I finished my food and put the place on the floor.

I sat in bed and pressed a hand on my belly to feel exactly where the baby was laying. I felt its back and head, and its legs curled up. I was broken from my trance when I heard the door open. I'd memorized him footfalls, his breathing patters and I knew it was Kai at the door. I was so sick of hating him and I knew I just wanted him back. I was about to get out f bed and go speak to him but he appeared in the doorway. We looked at each other for a minute before he came closer. I felt my breathing speed up and tears coming to the surface.

"Kai…" I started to tell him but then my face fell into my hands and I started crying. He wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into him. His hand rubbed my back and I choked out another sob, "I'm sorry."

"Me too, I'm sorry," He whispered into my hair, "I love you." My tears slowed and I clutched Kai's shirt. I pulled away slightly so I could see him. He brushed my tears away with his thumb then traces it along my jaw. His lips barely touched mine and it reminded me so much of our first kiss. I felt baby stir and suddenly remembered. I pulled away and grabbed Kai's hand. He looked confused.

"Here," I placed his hand on my stomach and I felt baby kick. Kai's eyes widened and I nodded with a smile on my face, "She kicked first yesterday." Kai came and sat in front of me on the bed. He placed his hand back on my belly and moved his hand in an attempt to get another kick. Finally baby kicked him again but harder. I laughed and Kai joined in.

"It's amazing." Kai said.

"Kai…I'm so sor-" Kai put a finger to my lips to stop me from talking.

"It's already forgotten."

**See why I like it?!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi, I'm back with another chapter. You probably know what I'm going to say, I love this chapter (Like all of the). But I owe all of this to Illima Todd.**

Nine

"So what did you do today?" Kai asked me. We were standing in the kitchen and I was putting away the cheese and crackers I'd left out. I held a rag in my hand and was clearing off the side. I scraped some cheese of the side.

"Well, me, Pua and your mom went to the batch tower and found all the baby clothes. We got blankets and stuff as well," I told him, "What about you?" I threw the rag in the sink and turned to him.

"Well, I caught Theron on his way up to breakfast; we talked about what had happened. Then I went for a run." He told me. I took in a short breath as baby kicked; I placed a hand over it and was rewarded with another, "Baby kicking?" I smiled and nodded.

"She was restless last night." Kai came to me and I put his hand under mine. Suddenly the door flew open and Pua stood before us. She looked between us, smiled, then her face changed. She looked worried, "What is it?" I asked her.

"One of the surrogates went into labor ten minutes ago," She told us; I knew they were due in a few weeks but not this early, "Miri said to come get you." I nodded then went to get my shoes. Kai was right behind me. We raced down the stairs and out of the building. Pua walked in front of us while Kai stood right by my side. We were at the Core Building in moments. The surrogates were on the ground floor and we raced through the corridors. Pua steered us to a room with dimmed lights. There was one of the surrogates on the bed and Miri was running around the room.

"Her name is Jade." Pua whispered to me. The surrogate, Jade, had her eyes pinched shut, she couldn't see that we'd entered but she probably heard us. Miri turned to us when we entered.

"Kai, you go entertain yourself. Pua, Nine, you guys can help." I turned to Kai and gave him a kiss before he left. Pua went to Jade's side and held her hand. I went to Miri.

"What can I do?" I asked her. She was at a closet and came out with a handful of towels. I took them from her and she pointed over to the bed. I went over and heard Pua talking to Jade.

"How old are you?" Pua asked, I nearly dropped the stack when she answered with, 16. Pua gave her a weak smile, "Don't worry, Nine here's 18." Jade turned to me and I gave her a smile. I placed the towels at the foot of the bed and sat next to them.

"Do you know if any of your family is here?" I asked her. She shook her head. She had long dark hair like Puas.

"I don't, I hope so though. Why do people call you Nine? It's a batcher name, and you have red hair." Her face changed so her nose was slightly scrunched and she pinched her eyes shut. I looked to Pua who mouthed the word _contraction_. I nodded and after a moment Jade reopened her eyes.

"Well, I was a batcher then on my way to the Remake Facility my shuttle crashed in the ocean. I found my way to Pua's island and lived there. Later on I joined the Rise and now I'm here." I told her the story as best I could. She nodded and her eyes caught on my stomach.

"Are you here because you're a surrogate?" She asked me. Pua looked about to laugh but held it in.

"No, when I was on the island I…um, well I fell in love with Pua's brother. Then we got married and now…" I trailed off and just poked my stomach. Jade let out a chuckle. Pua was also smiling. Miri came over and moved the towels from the foot of the bed to the top, next to Jade's head.

"I'll move them, don't worry," Miri told her when Jade's eyes caught on the stack next to her; "They'll end up on the floor when your waters break." I nodded as the pieces clicked. Jade settled back into place and I only just noticed that she was clutching Pua hand. I could hardly imagine what she was going through with no family. I know I certainly couldn't do this without Kai. Jade turned to me again.

"That's nice, I had someone back at my island before they found us," Her eyes were distant, probably remembering so many things, "I hope I can find him. I hope he'll accept me after everything." Pua gave her a sad smile.

"I'm sure he will. He'll know you didn't have any choice. Plus you'll need help raising a baby." Jade laughed and blushed. I let out a soft laugh. Suddenly Jade's face turned stony and I saw her grip on Pua's hand tighten. Her chest was rising and falling very fast. Miri came over and brushed her hair out of her face.

"Pretty soon you'll have your baby." She told her. Jade looked scared and she let out a moan, "Jade, you have to listen to everything I tell you to do, okay?" Miri asked her. Jade have a brief nod and closed her eyes. Pus stood up and I knew I should too. Miri pulled the blankets off Jade so she could give birth. Jade was in a hospital gown. Jade let out another groan and I assumed it was another contraction, I knew they got worse.

"As soon as your waters break, it means baby is almost here," Miri said, I was glad I was here so I could be prepared for when I give birth. Miri told me and Pua to put each of Jade's legs in what she called _stirrups_. They held her legs up so Miri could help deliver the baby easily. The only thing we were waiting for now was for her waters to break. Finally after three minutes they finally did. Water gushed over the bed and onto the floor. Miri instructed me to put the towels on the floor. They instantly soaked up the liquid. Jade let out a soft whimper and Pua brushed some sweat of Jade's head.

"Okay," Miri started, "Jade, you need to push through the next contraction." Jade did as she was told and a few seconds later she started pushing. Her whole face scrunched up. She let out a small yelp and I went to her side. She relaxed a moment later as t he contraction ended.

"You're doing great." I told her. I brushed a hand over her forehead and my hand came back sticky with sweat. I looked over to Pua who was also smiling at me.

"Okay, push through the next one." Miri told her, "You're almost there." Jade let out a groan and started pushing again. Her body curled forwards when she pushed. She let out another yelp but it only lasted a few seconds. Her body relaxed again and she sank back into the bed.

"On your next push baby's head should be here," Miri told her, I was surprised it was going this fast but then again, it was early. Jade nodded quickly and waited, not a minute later she was in another contraction. She pushed and let out a groan that turned into a yell. "That's it, yes, almost there." Miri told her. Her voice died down to a gasp, and her chest rose heavily.

"One more push and baby will be here," Miri told her, "You're doing wonderful." Jade relaxed back into the pillow behind her, she stayed there for a few second while she rested. Another moment later she was alert and waiting. Finally she was pushing again and this time she yelled louder than the previous times.

"Stupid Freedom!" She yelled but it didn't last. Miri pulled away slightly and turned to a table she had pulled up. She grabbed a blanket off it and I knew the baby was here. I kept my eyes on Jade as she laid there catching her breath. Miri put the blanket next to her and turned and grabbed some scissors and some sort of clip. I heard her snip something and then she pulled the baby up and placed in on Jade's chest. Her eyes flickered open and her hands instantly came up to the baby. She placed a kiss on the baby's head and I smiled at her. The baby was small, but not small enough for it to be something to worry about. Miri handed me the blanket at I put it over the baby in Jade's arms.

"Congratulations," Miri told her, "You have a baby girl." I felt a happy tear slide into my eye and I brushed it away. All of our eyes were on Jade. She held the baby right under her nose and she whispered something that sounded that sounded like, _I love you_. Miri pulled her legs down and covered her and the blood with the blankets.

"Talia," Jade whispered, she looked around at all of us with a smile on her face. She spoke again. "My younger sister was named Talia. She died when she was two." We all smiled wider at her. We heard a soft knock on the door and I went over. When I opened the door and saw Kai I knew he'd just stood outside the whole time. I pulled him inside. Miri was taking the scissors over to the sink where she washed her hands off. She looked through the cupboards before she found what she was looking for. She pulled a plastic cup down and filled it with water. She took it over to Jade who drank it greedily.

"Kai," I started, "I can't wait for our baby to come." He pulled me close and gave me a kiss on my hair. Pua was talking to Jade and Miri stood to the side, watching the two, now three, girls. I led Kai over to the bed and Jade and Pua started laughing about something.

"Oh my gosh," Pua turned to me; "Your baby and Talia can be best friends! And if your baby's a boy, they could get married!" Jade started laughing and I turned to Kai. I knew he wanted a girl but I found him smiling too.

"You never know." He said. He draped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close, "Well, we're going to leave you now." I let him pull me out the door and through the hallways. I was so tired of walking so I stopped and leaned against the wall. Kai turned to me.

"You okay?" He asked. I took in a sharp breath and nodded; Kai rolled his eyes and scooped me into his arms. One arm was under my knees, the other was around my back. I laughed but let him walk me outside. I leaned my head against his chest and heard his heartbeat, "I love you Nine." He whispered. We were walking down the street and I didn't want Kai to carry me all the way home. The sun was starting to set and it was giving the sky a light pink color.

"Me to," I told him, I pulled my head up, "Okay, you can put me down now." I tried to pull out of his grip but he only tightened it, "Kai!" I tried to escape but he spun me around, forcing me to hold onto him. I laughed and kissed him on the side of his head. He stopped spinning me and continued to walk.

"You know," He started, he was looking ahead with a small smile on his face, "As much as I hate this place it's not bad with you here. It's definitely not home but I still think it'll be hard to leave all the work we've done here." Kai had always hated Freedom for as long as I could remember and I felt the same way on Mahawai. But being here and experiencing everything the people were going through had changed my mind. It wasn't bad here; it was the people that were here that were bad. But with Eri gone things had changed and it wasn't so bad anymore. We walked down the street and passed someone with yellow hair. It wasn't super weird because there was such thing as blond hair. I looked up at Kai and saw a look of pity cross his face when he saw the girl.

She looked at us and her face changed to a look that I read as _confused_. I knew we probably looked strange, me in his arms strolling down the street. I knew when we passed people their eyes clung to Kai and his different skin tone, you could tell it wasn't remade skin and it drew a lot of attention. My stomach also drew attention but when I lay down or was on my back, like now, you could hardly tell I was pregnant. When the girl passed us and I knew we were out of earshot I continued to talk.

"I think it'll be sad to leave, but I can't wait to get back to Mahawai. I don't think it'll be sad to leave this _place_, but I think it'll be sad to part ways with some of the _people_. Though I don't doubt some of them will come back with us. There are just other people here that I feel sad leaving," Kai nodded, "But I know everyone here will be okay when we leave them. It'll be better here; they'll know what true happiness is like." Kai kissed my hair and his footfalls were a familiar, gentle song.

"I feel the same way, though I can't wait to get back to Hemi and Tama," He told me, "My mom tries to hide it but she's really aching for them, especially Tama. If we're here long enough he might grow to think Joramae's his mother, he might not remember mom. Dad as well, I know he misses them, and the island. Did you know that our house there was the one he grew up in?" I shook my head, I didn't know that.

"I can't wait to get back in the water," I told him, I saw a smile creep up Kai's face, "And when she's old enough you can teach Lani to swim. Kai!" A thought came into my head and Kai looked down at me with a puzzled face. My eyes darted back and forth as though pieces of a puzzle were clicking together.

"Yes…" He asked me.

"Well, we obviously can't live and raise children in your parent's house. Which means, when we get back to the island we'll need a house of our own." Kai nodded. He smiled down at me and I bit my lip, I didn't want it to seem like I wanted to just ditch his parents. I didn't want that, I loved his family.

"I didn't even think about that," He told me, I smiled and put on a proud face before he looked at me skeptically and I replaced it with a grin, "When we get back we'll obviously still have to live with my parents but we'll build our own place, I promise." I nodded and knew we were getting close to the apartment.

"Kai, can it be near the water?" I asked him, I knew that a year ago I would've thought the water was the last place I wanted a house, but now it was a sanctuary. I loved swimming and I missed it so much.

"Of course we can," Kai told me. I saw the apartment out of the corner of my eye, "I'll gave to teach Lani how to swim then." I nodded and giggled at the idea. Kai would probably take her out to the water as soon as we get back, no matter her age. I sighed at the prospect of being back in the warm, breezy weather again. I missed the smell of water when you stood on the beach. The sand that got stuck between our toes, the laughter and freeness the whole family shared.

I couldn't wait to get back, and I knew we would.

Kai

Me and Nine were at our kitchen table, each with pencils in hand. We had the plans in the middle of the table in front of us. Nine said she wanted the house by the water which meant it'd need extra support if the tide ever got super high. The sketch in front of us was far from perfect but it was how we wanted the house to look.

"What if it's kind of on stilts and there's a bowl type thing below the house. We could keep the fish and stuff we catch there. It the water ever raises we'll be safe in the house but we'll lose the food though." Nine told me, I added some stilts to the house and scratched my head.

"We could have a cover, or lid over the bowl to keep everything safe." I told her, She nodded, "And we won't want Lani getting under the house and into it." Nine looked over at me with wide eyes. I laughed so she'd know I was joking. Her freckles shifted into a relieved smile. She hit my arm.

"Don't joke around like that," She said, "But that is a good idea. It'll also keep animals out." I nodded.

"So, do you want the porch to go along the whole front of the house or just by the door?" We knew the basic shape we wanted the house to be. We wanted four bedrooms, as we both wanted a big family. There would be one bathroom to make building things easier. We'd have a joint living room and kitchen so we wouldn't have to spend more time and material making two separate rooms. Nine tapped a finger on her chin.

"I think I want it to go along the whole front so we can have some chairs on it. We could watch the kids play without having to be in the sun." I felt my heart pick up a beat when she mentioned more than one child. What if we had twins like mom? That would probably be hard to deal with the first time around. We'd have to take care of two babies while we're here in Freedom. We'd have to bring two kids with us back to the island. We'd have to have two kids living in my parents' house, Theron would also be there. We'd have ten people living in the four bedroom house.

Theron and Pua would probably build their own place as well; they'd be married and be starting their own family.

"I agree. Let's do the whole front then." I adjusted the sketch so we had a full view of the front of the house. I added support beams to the corners of the porch roof, "There, anything else my dearest." Nine looked at me with tight-lipped smile, and then looked back to the sketch.

"Negative, my…" Her eyes darted back and forth, "My…chosen." I dropped my head into my hands and laughed. Nine let out a laugh as well. I brought my head up to meet her gaze.

"Is it really that hard to find an endearing name for me?" Nine pinched her lips together and I let out a huff, "I thought I knew you better." Nine laughed and dropped her head to the table. Her red hair fanned out around her. I watched her laugh for a moment before she settled herself back into an upright position. I folded my arms, this apartment was small and Freedom was so big.

"We should go somewhere." I stood up from my seat and held out a hand for her. I pulled her out of her seat so we were facing each other, "Freedom's so big and I've seen so little, take me somewhere." Nine placed a quick kiss on my lips.

"You're forgetting I haven't seen much of it myself. I lived in the Batch Tower all my life then I ended up on Mahawai," She told me, "But there was that one day me and Theron got to come out for a day."

"Well, let's go." I told her. I looked out the window and saw the sun was dipping under the ocean but it didn't stop my determination. I pulled Nine towards the door and she pulled her shoes on, giving in to my want. I pulled my shoes on as well and pulled the door open. Nine went out and I followed behind her. I felt my pocket and felt the door key. I locked the door before I closed it. Me and Nine went to the stairs and commenced our way down. We had to travel down three floors and if it was tiring for me then it must be even more for her. This was the only downside for leaving the building. I placed my hand on Nines lower back and we went down the stairs.

When we finally got to the bottom I waited a few seconds for Nine to catch her breath. I pulled the front door open and we were met with a cold breeze. The season was changing into fall and the days were just turning colder. I knew that Mahawai would be having the perfect temperature right now. Nine looped her arm through mine and pulled me down the street. We were headed in the general direction of the hospital but we were going somewhere completely different.

"Are you happy?" I asked Nine, "I know you didn't want to have kids in Freedom and I knew you never really wanted to come back here in the first place." She searched for an answer before turning to me.

"Yes, I am," She smiled, "I didn't want to come back to Freedom knowing how messed up it was but now we can fix it. I'm glad to have a hand in that. And baby here, I'm more than happy with her. I only hope we can fix some of Freedom so, if she does in fact grow up here, it won't all be twisted." Nine faced forwards to see where we were going. We were passing a bright red building with a silhouette of a person. The person wasn't a complete silhouette though, it had white swirls and patterns along its body and I guessed this was a place to get tattoos.

"Good, I know we'll fix some of this for Lani," I always said her name as a reminder that she really was mine, that I'd named her, that she'd be mine forever, "I won't let her grow up in a place that'll teach her something fake. We'll help her though." Nine steered us down another unfamiliar street and the sky was turning to a dark blue. We could no longer see the ocean. "I love you. I know you'll be a wonderful father." Nine whispered. I kissed her hair and I felt so happy. I'd known other girls before Nine but they were all obviously wrong. I'd tried to take some out to the water and they just didn't have the same fascination with it that Nine did. They didn't understand why I was always so closed off about things; I didn't understand why they were so open about things. But everything changed when I met Nine. She was perfect. She was everything I wasn't and everything that completed me.

"And I know you'll be a perfect mother." I told her. I turned us left, down a road that looked comical. There was an orange brick road and murals along the buildings lining the road. The street lamps glowed a soft blue color instead of the normal yellow. The murals were more than I could ever do. The colors were more vibrant and the details were more exact. The murals included one of Freedom. There was a picture of the ocean, but only instead of fish and coral, this one was filled with bodies. It wasn't a super gruesome picture; the people looked like people from a comic book. I still grimaced at the facade Freedom had put on the ocean. I kept walking evenly though I felt like turning around. I looked to Nine and saw a frown on her face as we passed the ocean mural. There was another one coming up. It was one of a batch. There were ten mails and ten females all in a line. They had shaved heads but you could still tell their gender. We passed this one and the buildings came to an end. We were at a crossroad and I no longer had any sense of where we were. Nine pulled us right and we were met with an empty street. There weren't even any buildings. There was a long road and we started walking down it timidly. There wasn't very good lighting on this road. There was a railing stretching down the end of the road and it had a perfect view of the ocean. It wasn't a very good view as there was a barbed fence in the way. Me and Nine walked to the railing and looked out at the crashing waves. The wind whipped our faces and Nines hair billowed behind her, making her head seem to be on fire.

I studied Nine's face and saw a note of determination written on it as she looked out at the water. I knew she was thinking of Mahawai, I was too. I turned to face the water and mist sprayed on my face. I closed my eyes and it was so easy to picture myself back home. But something was different this time as I thought about it. I thought for a moment before it clicked. I didn't miss it as much. I knew I'd finally accepted that we might be stuck here forever. But I didn't care, as long as I was with Nine. It'd be hard not to be there but it would be even harder to be apart from Nine. I knew I had to say something to Nine because I knew she worried about me. I knew she worried about me missing the island and wanting to go back.

"Nine, I don't miss the island as much," Nine turned to me and she had a look of surprise, "I just mean, I think I've finally accepted that we might be stuck here. And guess what? I don't care. I'll be happy where ever you are. I don't want you to worry about us getting back to the island. If it makes more sense for us to be here then we'll stay. You don't have to try to make everything right for me, or it might not be right for you. You are the sunshine that makes my life bright, the breeze on a hot, sticky day. You are my world; everything about me revolves around you. You make me right, and for all that I love you. I will love you till the day I die and even after. Even if we don't escape this prison I will be content anywhere you inhabit."

Nine studied my eyes and a moment later her lips were on mine. It was a brief kiss to show me that she was really happy with what I'd said, "Kai, I love you to and I'll go wherever you want me to go. But I never wanted you to resent me if we get stuck here. But what you just said has suddenly lightened that burden. Thank you. But if you ever want to go back I'll do whatever I need to do to get us there. Gosh, I'll even learn how to sail." I laughed and pulled her into an embrace. Nines fingers wrapped themselves into my shirt and I ran a hand down her hair.

"Let's go home."


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted a chapter but I've been really busy, it's almost done though. The reason I'm writing this right now it to give you guys a HUGE THANK YOU! I found out my story has been seen all over the planet, some of the really cool places are: Australia, China! France, Qatar! Canada. I just want to say thank you for checking out my story. I know the first few chapters have tons of plot holes but it means a lot that you have kept reading. I was running through the house yesterday yelling, "I'M SO HAPPY, I'M FAMOUS!" And I'm still so giddy, so it really means a lot and you've made my life so much better with your support for my writing. I know most writers probably doubt their work, i do as well, and it means the world that you read it and keep reading it! THANK YOU SO MUCH! ;-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**SO SORRY THIS IS LATE!I've been so busy, and kind of came to a dead end with ideas for this book for a while(that's why this is so short) but i have tons for the future chapters. Also, really ****grateful****for all the views I'm getting! THANK YOU SO FLIPPIN' MUCH!**

Kai

We turned to leave and something caught my eye. I continued forwards though, Nine's hand in mine. I didn't want her to be concerned so I didn't tell her about the person watching us further down the railing. I could only see their silhouette but I knew they were watching us. Shivers dances along my skin and I reached behind me to make sure my gun was still in my waistband. I felt a bit of relief when my fingers found it. Nine hadn't seen the person and I led her away before she had a chance too. We turned left, onto the road we'd taken here. It was the one that had all the murals. We passed them, neither of us speaking. When we reached the end of that road I had a vague sense of where we were in relation to our apartment. We turned right ad found our way to the main road. I looked behind me but didn't see anything abnormal; there wasn't even a flickering light. I kept my pace even, still unsure what to make of the situation.

Nine's hand was warm and comforting in mine and I knew she hadn't seen the person. We kept going up the street but my eyes were wandering everywhere. I scanned the shops lining the street, the rooftops and alleyways. The apartment came into sight and I felt a small rush of relief. It was crushed though, the sound stung my eardrums. I heard Nine scream, I pushed her in front of me and we were both running. I didn't know where the shooter was but I knew they were aiming for us. Another shot was fired but missed; instead it went through a street lamp and glass sprayed all over us. I pulled my gun into my hand, I felt better with its smooth surface against my skin.

We were a few yards away from the apartment and I let Nine run ahead. I turned with me gun held in front of me, surveying the streets. I couldn't' see anyone, the night was eerily dark. There was no moon to give the night sky a warm glow; the streetlamp closest to me was shattered. There was only a few left to light the street but I still couldn't find anyone. I fired my gun none the less; maybe I could scare the attacker away. After I'd fired a few rounds I stopped, listening. It was silent. I waited a few moments, expecting more gunshots, but the only sound was my heavy breathing. I turned and was relieved that Nine wasn't behind me, she was probably already inside. I went inside and took the stairs two at a time. I went to our room and found the door still locked. I went up two more flights of stairs and knew Nine was here. I could hear her crying form down the hall.

I headed towards my parents door and threw in open. Nine was on the floor with my mom kneeling next to her. Pua stood to the side, not quite comprehending the situation. Dad was at Nines other side, Nine had tears streaming down her face and mom was asking her what happened. Dad's eyes lifted to my face when I walked in. I kicked the door closed with my foot as I strode to Nine. She turned to face me before I sunk down beside her. I pulled her into my arms; we'd been having all sorts of bad luck recently.

"It's okay." I told her.

"What happened?" Mom asked, "We heard gunshots but…" She trailed off and her eyes darted back to Nine in concern.

"Someone was shooting at us. Thankfully neither of us was hit," I remembered how close one of the bullets had come, flying over my head. But instead shattering the streetlamp. I looked down and saw cuts along Nine's arms and I even saw some on mine, "Though a streetlamp was shattered."

Mom stood abruptly and went to the kitchen. She came back with a wet rag for Nine's arms. I peeled Nine off me and wiped her face of all the moisture, "Nine, you have to calm down," Mom told her, she cupped Nine's chin and pulled her to face her, "You need to calm down, or…" She looked at me, then to Nine's stomach. I knew what her meaning was. I placed my hand on her back and nodded briskly at mom.

"Or what?" Nine spoke softly; she looked to me with the question in her eyes.

"You need to calm down for your baby," Miri told her, Nine's hand whipped to her stomach and her eyes widened, "It'll be okay, you just need to calm down." She nodded and took in a big breath. She leaned into me; I knew this was stressful for her. It was as though she had a flag on her that told everyone to bully her. She'd had the worst luck of anyone I knew: she crashed into the ocean, she was an _experiment_, and almost everyone knew her, for bad reasons.

Nine's breathing had evened out after a few moments and Ara stood to get her some water from the kitchen. The door burst open and all of our heads turned in unison. Theron stood in the doorway, surveying the scene before him. He took in Nine and rushed forwards.

"What happened? Was she shot?" His eyes darted between everyone in the room; I shook my head when his eyes reached mine. He let out a breath and dropped to his knees beside Nine, who was sitting in my lap, trying to breathe evenly. Theron put a hand on her back and Nine seemed to relax slightly beneath his touch. Nine's head fell to my chest and her breath was warm against my neck. Dad returned from the kitchen and handed Nine the glass of water. She took small sips before handing in back to him.

"So what happened then?" Theron asked. He looked up from Nine to me, expecting an answer.

"We were just out walking then someone started shooting at us. I didn't see anyone though," I still didn't know if the same person I saw on the balcony was the same person who was shooting at us, "Nine's just scared, she got some cuts on her arms but they're not bad" I turn my attention to her.

She nods and sits up her hand resting protectively on her stomach. I rest a hand on her back as she breathes and tries to get her bearings. Nine looks as though she wants to get up and Theron is one step ahead of me. He offers her a hand and she takes it, allowing him to help her up. As soon as she's up I stand too, she's still for a few seconds before turning to me.

"I'm okay; I was just worried about you, and scared you'd gotten shot or something," She speaks softly, "Why haven't we ever been left alone?" Her eyes fill with a new set of tears and I pull her to me. I decide that we really don't need everyone else to be around for this. I nod a thank you to my parents and Theron before gently pealing Nine off me and leading her to the door.

When we got to our door I got my key out and unlocked it. I took her inside, closed and locked the door behind me. Nine made a beeline for our bedroom and I followed on her heels. She opened the door and switched the lights on. I sat on the bed and looked at the wall, processing everything. She went to the closet and pulled a shirt off my shelf. She switched her shirt, left her leggings on and crawled onto the bed. She laid on top of the blankets and her eyes were already closing.

"You never did answer my question," Her voice startles me, "Why haven't we ever been left alone? Eri's has always been obsessed with me. Pretty much all the rebels know me, now look what's happened." I flipped onto my back then rolled to face her.

"I don't know, I think you're just too famous," I tell her, "But when we get back to the island we'll be fine. You can make it until then."

"But when is _'when'_?" She asks me and I know she really wants a legitimate answer. It's been tough her here, especially now that Baby's almost here. She's had so much put on her, so many people looking to her to find a cure to save them all.

"I don't know, but I know we'll get back there." I tell her. The island has always been a part of me and I'll never accept that we're never going to see it again. Even if all the buildings and homes have been destroyed by Seekers, it'll still be home. I lean forward and kiss her forehead before settling back into the bed. Nine let out a small sigh and she gave me a small nod before her eyes flutter shut.


	13. Chapter 13

**So happy for all the views, it means a lot. Sorry this chapter is short, it's loaded though so i figured this would be enough to process. **

Nine

The first thing I see when I wake up is dried blood on my arms. One arm was in front of my face, giving me a close view of the scratches the glass made. All the memories of last night flooded back into my mind.

I take in a sharp breath through my teeth.

I sit up and immediately regret it as my head starts spinning. I slowly lower myself back down into my pillow. I hear Kai's gentle breathing beside me, he's still fast asleep. I look over to the alarm clock on my nightstand, it's 5:30. Our room our still dark, the sun not yet up. I don't know why I'm awake; lately I've been sleeping so deeply. I wake up at 9, go to bed at 10.

I sit up slowly this time, my head a little better. I swing my legs off the bed, my feet meeting the soft carpet. I walk to the bathroom that adjoins our room with the kitchen. I close the door before turning on the light, not wanting to wake Kai. I turn the tap on and splash water on my face. There's no way I'm going back to sleep. My mind is already spinning, all the memories, and events form yesterday twirling around each other.

I turn the light off and go out the door that opens into the kitchen. I walk over to the door, I need to go somewhere. I pull my tennis shoes on; I leave the laces undone because I can't reach down with my stomach. I pull the door open and head down the hall towards the stairs. I climb up the stairs, reaching Theron's floor. I make a bee line for his door.

I don't care how late it is, I rap my knuckles on his door. He doesn't answer for a few moments, I still wait. After a minute I raise my hand again, but the door swings in. Theron's stood there, holding to door open a few inches. When he sees me his eyes widen then relax. He doesn't move though.

"Hey, um, are you gonna let me in or what?" I ask him. He seems to shake out of a daze and nods, opening the door.

"What are you doing here?" He asks once the door is shut again. I walk a few steps farther into the room.

"I need to talk to someone about last night and Kai's asleep." I tell him; now that I've said it out loud it seems stupid. Theron was also asleep but I had no problem waking him up to talk. He doesn't point it out though.

"Um, okay," He scratches his messy hair, "What do you want to talk about?"

"Well I think…um," I think over my sentence again and begin to doubt it, "I think I might know who was shooting at us." Theron's eyebrows shoot upwards. I wring my hands in front of me before continuing.

"Well, we never did catch the person who tried to shoot yo-" I'm cut off by a sneeze from the direction of the bathroom. I'm confused; I look to Theron who looks like he's seen a ghost, "Who-"

Theron runs a hand through his hair, "It's nothing, nothing happened." He runs a hand down his face, I'm not sure why he looks so stressed and most of all, scared.

"Theron, I don't understand." He finally meets my eye, what has he done? I take a tentative step away from him and further into the house. Theron doesn't look like he's going to stop me as I move closer to the bathroom. Pain flashes through his eyes and I have to turn away. I reach for the handle and pull the door open.

At first I'm confused, and then everything seems to slow down. Things click into place and I take in a shuddering breath. I stumble away a few steps then turn back to Theron.

"WHAT THE HECK! What are you thinking?" I yell at him. I stalk up to him so we're only inches apart. A tear slides down my cheek, my heart burns with remorse.

"Nine, nothing happened, I swear!"

"Do you really think I'm going to believe that when I find-"

"Nine, calm down! I'm telling the truth!" He takes a step back, "I'd never do anything, I wouldn't...Nine…please. Nothing happened…" I start to feel anger burning a path through my chest. I don't know what to say, I need to get away. I storm out of the room, flying down the stairs as fast as my pregnant self will allow.

As soon as I'm back in my apartment I let everything out. I scream and drag my fingers down my head. I hear the bedroom door fly open and I'm in Kai's arms. I rip myself away from him and grab a glass from the counter; I throw it at the wall but feel no satisfaction as it shatters.

Kai curses and grabs my arm, forcing me to look at him. I don't realize how many tears are on my face until Kai pulls me close and brushed them away. With Kai this close I seem to melt. I lean my head on his chest as he holds me for a moment.

"Why are you mad?" He asks, I pull away so I can look at him as I answer.

"I went up to see Theron and talk but I found…" Slow tears trickle from my eyes, "Pua was there."

Kai

My mouth drops open, Pua?

No way, Nine must have gotten it wrong. Pua would never do anything like that, right? Finally I remember how to speak, "What, are you sure?" Nine lets out a shuddering breath as she nods.

"Yes, she was there." Nine tells me, a thousand things go through my mind, but one thought over rules all of them; I'm going to kill Theron. It sounds so right in my mind right now, but I know I can't. Pua can take care of herself; besides, me and Nine fell asleep together back on the island.

My thoughts are interrupted by a knuckle banging on our door. Nine's eyes dart to the door; we're thinking the same thing. It could be Theron. I pull away from Nine and pull the door open. Instead of Theron, Pua stands there. As soon as we meet eyes she starts speaking.

"Nothing happened, I swear."

"How am I supposed to believe that?" I ask her. She steps farther into the house.

"Kai, I would never lie to you, didn't you and Nine fall asleep together?" I'm not sure how she knows about that, "Well, it was like that."

"So you didn't-"

"Absolutely not! Kai, you know me, seriously?" She answers me. I read her face then let out a slow breath I didn't realize I was holding; she's not lying. But why would she have gone down to Theron's in the first place? She was down with mom and dad in the evening.

"Did you know what you were doing though?" Nine seems to have the exact same question on her mind as well.

Pua didn't answer as soon as I'd expect, but her blush answered Nine's question. I threw my hands up in the air; this was a completely different situation than when me and Nine fell asleep.

"So you knew what you were doing the whole time?" Nine asks, concern laced through her voice. Pua nods slowly and a tear is released from the corner of her eye. Nine immediately wraps her arms around Pua, probably still upset but not letting it show.

"It's okay; it's not the worst thing you could do." Nine reassures her. My mind is still spinning and I'm struggling to find the correct emotion to show. I finally end up feeling sorry for Pua; she's probably worried about how we all feel, mom and dad especially. I step forward and pull her into my arms as well.

"I'm sorry." She tells us, "I just-"

"Shh, it's okay." Nine tells her, "Does Miri know?" Pua shakes her head quickly while pulling back from me and Nine. She doesn't have many tears on her face, but the ones that are there are quickly swept away.

"No, and please let me tell them when I figure it out." She tells us.

"Are you really going to tell them?" I ask, Nine hits my arm, "I mean, my lips are sealed."

"Thanks," She tells me, "I'm gonna go for a walk, watch the sunrise, ya know." Nine nods and looks to me.

"Yeah, have fun." I tell her, I lead her to the door and open it for her. She steps out of the room and when I close the door Nine looks to me with concern etched on her face, "She needs to tell mom and dad."

Nine nods and looks to the floor, her eyes darting as her thoughts fly. "Yeah, but maybe we shouldn't be so hard on her. Besides, she knows the consequences, and she'll get to live with them." I nod, she makes a good point. Pua knows what she's gotten herself into, she can deal with it.


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, so I have a few things to say, first off THANK YOU for all the views! It means so much! It's so nice to come on here and find that I've gotten views form Australia or Iceland. Thank you so much! Also a big thank you to Illima Todd who inspired this story that I ****love****! **

Eri

"They're still armed," I grit my teeth as Odell tells me the news, "And it doesn't appear the Seekers are doing anything about it."

"How could they have persuaded them?" I ask him, "They were loyal to me. There is no way Nine or any of the rebels could've just changed their minds like that." I snap my fingers to prove my point.

"Yes, I see where you're coming from," Odell says, "But perhaps the Rebels were more influential than we thought. There were quite a few rebels inside the city that may have gained trust with their fri-"

"No!" I stalk up to him, my face inches from his, "We cannot believe that, that's what they want; us to doubt. We have to stay strong and keep the upper hand."

He nods his head once, his eyes darting to the side as he thinks. Things have gotten more intense here. We've been floating around different provinces, staying in each one for a few weeks at a time. Right now we're in Freedom Twelve, Arnette is housing us. All the Prime makers don't know if they should shut down Freedom One, or just let the virus do its thing.

"Yes, should we go back in?" Odell asks, "Kai was armed still, maybe they all are still." Odell knows firsthand that they are.

"Yes, they might," I say quietly, "But so are we. We have to go back in. Soon."

Theron

Pua left a few minutes ago. I'm expecting Kai to burst through the door and put a bullet through my head but as the minutes pass by my concern changes to confusion. Are Kai and Nine just going to let it pass? It doesn't seem like something either of them would do, but no one's come down to yet.

I pace back and forth through the apartment, my arms crossed in front of me. When my back is to the door I hear it open then close. I don't turn around; it could be Kai, ready to swing a punch in my direction. Nine here to yell at me. Feet fall on the ground, coming towards me; Pua. Her hand falls on my shoulder and I finally turn around. She looks so small now with guilt across her face. Wipe a small tear from her cheek and immediately wonder what happened.

"What happened?" I ask her. She sucks in a breath has though she's about to answer but no words come from her. She pulls back slightly and meets my eyes.

"Do you regret it now?" She asks. I shake my head slowly.

"No, we only slept together." I tell her, it was true.

"Not that, do you regret what we said?" I relax slightly. I remember the promise we made.

"No," I whisper, "I never will." She comes close again so she's inches from me.

"What if it never happens though?" Concern flows out with the words.

"No, I'll make it come true." I tell her. "I will never break a promise, especially if it's to you." She smiles weakly.

"Okay, I trust you." She gently presses her lips to mine and I can't breathe for a few seconds. She pulls back and whispers, "Well I don't regret it either."

I don't go back sleep even though we have an hour before the sun starts to come up. Me and Theron sit at the kitchen table talking until he leaves to get a shower. I sit alone, in silence, for what feel like forever. I think over our conversation in my head again, tears form in my eyes this time.

The virus should start spreading anytime now, what if I die? The tracker over my ear is a constant reminder that it is possible. What if Nine can't help and we all die? Would Theron stay here with me? This question causes my breath to hitch; he would stay here with my while I die. But does that mean he'd die to? He should live, me dying doesn't mean he has to die too. He could leave with the others before the virus breaks out and they could all have a chance at living. He could go back to Mahawai with Kai and Nine, mom and dad.

I'm shook out of my thoughts as the bathroom door opens and Theron steps out, hair shinning. He's wearing a black shirt that makes his blue eyes stand out. He walks around the table and into the kitchen. He pulls a bag of freeze dried beans out. I from my seat to help him; I go to a different cupboard and pull a pot out. I fill it with water and put it over the stove, letting the heat from the base ward it. Theron pours the contents of the bad into the water and the powder on the water. Theron looks to me and smiles, I smile back.

Theron

The sun shines right through the window now, just peeking out from the water. The heat from it warms the apartment from the cool summer night. I move slightly and the sun falls right into my eyes, I jump back slightly and a smile falls onto Pua's face. I blink a few times, a sunspot still in my eye. When I can see normally I look at Pua and find her still smiling at me. I shake my head and ruffle her hair. I turn to the pan that's now steaming and smells delicious. I pour some beans into two bowls, the spices filling the air. My action is brought to an abrupt stop by a shriek from the floor above us. Pua looks puzzled, as she can't hear anything.

I jump slightly and – out of instinct- Go to my bed and pull out my handgun. I quickly load it but keep the safety on. I run to the door, past my shoes and pull the door open. Pua follows me even though she doesn't know what's wrong. I take the stairs 2 at a time as I go up. I go down one hallway and the scream begins to fade into a sob. Other people are opening their doors and coming out to see the commotion. I go further down the hallway and the crying sound becomes louder and more distinct. I keep moving and it starts to fade away again. I step back a few times and I know where the noise is coming from. I turn the door handle and find it's unlocked. I step inside, not knowing who lives here. I keep my gun in front of me and slowly turn the safety off. You can now tell the crying is from a woman, she sounds in agony. I take more steps through the apartment and turn to look into a room. It's a gray bedroom, the sun illuminating the room. I find the source of the noise when I look down and see a woman crying over a man's body.

She looks up at me with a tear-stained face and whimpers slightly, "He's dead. The virus has begun."


End file.
